A New Path
by Zinoviev
Summary: At the end of ROTJ, Leia decides to leave politics temporarily to train as a Jedi with Luke. But her struggles with the demons of her past make things difficult on everyone.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Taking a deep breath, Leia knocked on the door to Mon Mothma's quarters. Wringing her hands, Leia looked down at her feet, having never felt so unsure in her life. She had made her decision last night, but now that she was here it was impossible not to have second thoughts. _Am I making a huge mistake? _she thought to herself.

The door opened revealing the esteemed Senator Mothma, dressed in her typical white robes. "Princess Leia, what a surprise. I've been hoping to speak with you for some time," she told her younger colleague warmly.

Surprised, Leia simply smiled in response. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

Stepping into the quarters, Leia took a moment to compose herself. _There's no going back now. _

"Please, sit" Mothma said, gesturing to a modest armchair. Sitting down, Leia put her hands on her lap, trying not to convey how nervous and conflicted she was.

"What is it you wish to discuss with me?" Mothma asked, oblivious to Leia's internal turmoil.

Taking a deep breath, Leia assumed a well-practiced diplomatic stance. "Senator Mothma, I have come to inform you that I will be leaving politics effective immediately."

Shocked, Mothma stared at Leia with her mouth agape. "Whatever made you choose to do that?" she asked incredulously.

Staring at the floor, Leia replied "I will be training with my brother in the Jedi arts."

"Jedi arts? With your brother? What brother?" Mothma asked, her bewilderment evident.

"I have recently learned that Luke Skywalker is my twin brother," Leia answered in a monotone voice.

"Luke Skywalker is your brother?"

Leia merely nodded in response, suddenly irritated with Mothma's incredulity. "That is all I wished to discuss with you, Senator," Leia said tersely and stood up to leave.

"Leia, wait!" Mothma exclaimed abruptly, all sense of formality gone. "Why are you doing this? Surely you must know that the New Republic needs you!"

Leia looked away, touched that Mothma would consider her vital to the new order, but unswayed regardless. "I know, I just…" Leia trailed off, unsure how to put her emotions into words.

Noticing the conflict within the young Princess, Mothma chided herself for being so brash. "You've been through so much, Leia," she said softly. "I'm sorry, nobody has the right to ask anything of you."

Leia gave Mothma a faint smile. "Thank you. I think I just need some time away from the spotlight. Perhaps I'll return to politics someday, but now… after everything that's happened…"

Mothma stood up and took Leia's hands. "I understand."

Leia smiled, although she was sure the Senator couldn't possibly understand. Nobody could understand what she had been through or what she had been forced to witness. Nor could anyone understand what it was like to learn that you were actually the offspring of evil incarnate.

Releasing Mothma's hands, Leia willed away the strong emotions billowing within her. Resuming her diplomatic face, she thanked the Senator once again and left the room quickly before she could second guess herself.

Chapter 1

"That's good Leia, just focus on your breathing" her brother whispered softly. Leia sighed internally, willing herself to let go and feel the force around her as her brother had taught her to do. It was difficult for her, however. She was impatient. For almost a month, Leia had trained with her brother in the Jedi arts but she was frustrated with her lack of progress, irritated at herself for not being able to manipulate the force like Luke could. Luke had been the epitome of patience, telling Leia that she would break through eventually and that she shouldn't be so hard on herself.

_It's easy for you to say that, Luke _she thought to herself glumly. She could sense Luke's considerable strength with the Force, it all came naturally for him. Meanwhile here she was, sitting cross legged on the floor meditating, unable to move so much as a pebble with her mind.

_The Force isn't about moving rocks, Leia _her brother had told her. _It surrounds and penetrates all of us, you must understand it before you can manipulate it. _She scoffed internally at her brother's pretentiousness, he had had barely any training at all and yet he acted as if he was omniscient in the ways of the force. Pushing her frustrations away, Leia tried in vain to clear her mind as Luke had taught her to do.

"Feel the Force surrounding you, emanating from you and from me" Luke told her. Frowning, Leia redoubled her efforts, feeling perspiration developing on her brow. She had had no trouble identifying the Force when she had begun her training, she had known of its presence all her life yet had never been able to identify it. It buzzed around her, gently caressing her mind, whispering indiscernible yet somehow poignant truths. Leia exhaled deeply, calmed by its soothing presence.

"Good, good" she heard Luke say, sounding farther away than before. "Now reach out, tell me what you feel." Leia strained, stretching out with her mind into the void. She felt the Force whooshing around her, building in strength until it was billowing like a hurricane around her.

"Power," she muttered "Unlimited power"

Luke looked up, concerned yet curious. "What else?" he asked.

Leia's breathing quickened, and she felt her muscles tense. "Pain, unspeakable pain." Swallowing hard, she willed herself to persevere deeper into the Force, far deeper than she had ever gone before. "Anger, rage, violence."

"And between it all?" Luke asked cautiously, disconcerted by the dark feelings emanating from his sister. "A balance, do you sense it?"

Retreating she tried to make sense of the rushing gale before her. Slowly forms began to materialize, a small blue orb appeared on the horizon, beckoning her. Reaching out, Leia tried to touch it, but she was held back, a firm, dark force held her back. _Let me go! _she screamed to herself. Rage coursed through her and the dark force relented, freeing her from its torturous grasp. Rapidly the blue dot approached her, ballooning in size until it surrounded her. She felt a horrible heat as the blue hue violently transformed into red flames, engulfing her.

"Leia!"

She heard Luke pleading with her, far, far away.

"Leia, stop!"

The flames dissipated, and with it the unbearable heat. She felt herself get yanked away as the Force retreated from her. With a dull thud, she felt herself fall back to the ground as her surroundings reemerged. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Luke staring back at her fearfully.

"…Luke?" she asked quietly, her throat dry.

Luke blinked a few times, regaining his composure. "You were levitating," he remarked softly. He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but apparently decided against it.

"Levitating?" Leia asked incredulously. "Luke, what just happened?"

Luke shook his head and stood up. Leia watched as he walked stiffly away to turn on the light. Squinting as her eyes adapted to the brightness, she took in her surroundings. She was in the meditation chamber of the temple on Ilum. Looking down, she saw that she was sitting on top of a jagged crack on the floor which she was sure had not been there before.

"Did I do this?" Leia wondered, looking up at Luke confused.

Luke swallowed and nodded absentmindedly, his eyes locked steadfastly on the floor.

"Luke, talk to me. What is happening?"

Looking up, he made eye contact with his sister briefly before looking away.

"I… I'm not sure. I'll have to meditate on this"

_Of course you will _she thought angrily. _That's your response to everything, isn't it? _

Luke's eyes shot back to Leia's, his concern evident. He pondered Leia's face briefly, sensing her frustration and confusion. "That'll be enough for today," he mumbled before swiftly turning around to leave the chamber.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Leia was tinkering with the hilt of her incomplete lightsaber when she looked up suddenly, a weak smile illuminating her previously grim countenance. Standing up and exiting the Temple, she saw the unmistakable shape of the Millennium Falcon emerge overhead as it entered Ilum's atmosphere. Watching the ship descend elegantly and land in a nearby airstrip, Leia began to laugh feebly as she felt the stress of the past few hours fade at the sight of her beloved.

Descending from the ramp holding a crate on his hip, Han looked up to see the Princess awaiting him. He sauntered up to her with a bemused expression as he noticed she was giggling. Dropping the crate, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Something funny to you, your worship?" Han asked quizzically.

Leia flashed him a radiant smile. "I just realized how much I missed you," she said and leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss.

Pulling away, Han grinned. "I like that answer," he responded, reciprocating her kiss. "I like that answer very much."

As Leia helped Han unload the supplies they needed to survive on the lifeless planet off of the Millennium Falcon, Luke was seated cross-legged in the meditation chamber, sitting atop the crack hid sister had unwittingly created that morning. Frowning, Luke recounted that disturbing meditation session with Leia.

"_Power. Unlimited Power."_

"_What else?"_

"_Pain, unspeakable pain. Anger, rage, violence."_

"_And between it all? A balance, do you sense it?"_

The walls had begun to shake, dust cascading down from the high ceilings. Luke had opened his eyes, shocked to see Leia hovering a few inches above the floor, her eyes shut tightly, screaming silently.

"_Leia! Leia stop!"_

Luke was not a prideful man. He knew that although he was the only Jedi left in the galaxy, he by no means had the experience or wisdom of a true Jedi Master. As a consequence, he was unsure of how to interpret his sister's troubling episode. He would surely need to consult far more experienced minds.

Even so, he knew his sister well. He could sense her frustration with how slowly her training was progressing. Yet he knew that this was just a superficial vexation, superfluous to the real source of her anguish. _After all, she was forced to witness her whole planet be annihilated, _Luke reasoned, _no doubt she is still suffering from that traumatic event. _Resolving to ask her about this later, Luke stood up and left the chamber to go greet Han.

Entering the main chamber of the temple, Luke found Han attempting to carry three stacked crates as he and Leia finished unloading the Millennium Falcon. The top crate wobbled precariously, taunting Han as it began to tip over.

"Don't do that you son of a – "

Ignoring Han's profanity, the crate tumbled to the ground.

"Whoa there!" Luke called out, catching the crate with the Force before it could hit the floor. "Need some help?"

Han looked up to see Luke across the chamber dressed in his black Jedi robes. "I had everything under control until you came along," Han retorted with a cheeky grin.

"I'm sure you did, but I think I might be able to speed things along," Luke replied, pulling all three crates into the air, gliding them gracefully across the chamber until he softly let them down neatly next to the pile of supplies.

Striding across the chamber, Han reached out to grasp Luke's hand. "Man, that never gets old," he said. Han was used to his friend's incredible powers by now, but that didn't mean they never failed to impress him.

"I live to serve," Luke replied with a smirk, pulling his friend in for a quick hug. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Leia at the entrance of the chamber, her hands on her hips.

"You done with the magic shows? We still have work to do." Leia called out sassily.

Turning around, Han held his hands up in mock-surrender. "Sorry, your highness. Be right there." Giving Luke a wink, the two walked over to Leia to help her unload the rest of the ship.

Satisfied, Leia turned around and exited the chamber. His smile fading, Han turned to Luke. "A bit grouchy that one," he whispered so that Leia couldn't hear.

Luke pursed his lips, looking down the hall from which Leia had left. "She's had a rough time while you were gone, Han" Luke said quietly. "Hopefully she'll brighten up now that you're back."

Han nodded and cleared his throat, unsure of what to say. "Well, I've brought enough stuff to last the rest of the month," he said, changing the subject. "We've brought most of it in, got a few more trips left. You gonna help us?"

"Sure thing, let me just get my coat."

"Great, see you there." As Luke turned around and rushed off to get his coat, Han left the chamber to join his irritable girlfriend in the Falcon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning Luke woke up early, as was custom. Entering the meditation chamber they had repurposed into a kitchen, he was surprised to see Leia sitting alone at the table.

"What are you doing up so early?"

Startled, Leia looked up to see Luke with an inquisitive look on his face. "Couldn't sleep," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Luke pursed his lips, a concerned expression on his face

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Leia said indignantly.

"I'm worried about you, Leia."

"Well you don't need to be, I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, it's just – "

"I'm fine, OK!" Leia snapped, startling her brother. Afraid to push the subject any further, Luke turned around to make himself some breakfast. Behind him, he heard Leia take a deep breath as he sensed her anger dissipate and fade into regret.

"Luke, I'm sorry. It's just…" she paused, knowing she had Luke's attention even if he wasn't looking at her. There was a long silence as Luke continued to rummage about the kitchen, making a concerted effort to act as if he was doing something important.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about our mother, would you?"

Surprised, Luke turned around, dropping the façade. He gave her another inquisitive look before responding.

"I told you, I have no memory of her. Why do you ask?"

Leia looked away, her brow furrowed. "I've just been… thinking about her. Who she was. Why she…" Leia drifted off, not making eye contact.

"Why she married Darth Vader?"

Leia tensed up, her eyes darting to Luke's. "Yeah" she replied quietly.

"Well you'd know more so than I, you said you actually remembered her," Luke reminded her.

"I thought I did, but…" Leia closed her eyes, unsure of how much she wanted to disclose. "I'm not sure if I'm actually remembering her or if I…if I created her"

Shocked to see a tear roll down his sister's cheek, Luke rushed forward and kneeled in front of her, taking her hand.

"Hey, it's OK," he told her gently, realizing how fragile she was at this moment but also delighted that she was finally opening up to him. "I'm here for you, you know that? Talk to me."

Leia gave him a smile, wiping the unwanted tears out of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I sometimes feel like I must have created the memory of my mother, of our mother."

"Why is that?"

Leia sighed, feeling uncomfortable now that she had dropped her mental barriers that had protected her for so long. She had created a protective shell for herself as a young girl, creating the visage of a strong and determined woman. Never before had she let anyone see her vulnerabilities, her self-doubt. But then again, she had never had a family in the true sense. Of course, the Organa's had been loving parents, but there was always a degree of separation and even formality. Perhaps it was because they knew the truth, and perhaps they feared her for it…

"Leia?" Luke asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Sorry, I just…" She looked down at her brother's sincere face, smiling at him. Never before had she felt so close to a person, even before she had known they were related. Suddenly she felt foolish for having closed herself off from Luke for the past month, if there was anyone she could talk to it was Luke.

"How could she?" she said finally. "How could the woman that I remember have ever married someone as vile as Vader?"

Luke grimaced, knowing that Leia had yet to come to grips with her parentage. "She didn't," Luke told her confidently. "She married Anakin Skywalker."

Leia gave an exasperated sigh, looking away. "They're one and the same, Luke."

Frowning, Luke stood up. "Perhaps. But if they are, then you ought to treat them as such."

Leia looked up at her brother, confused but also indignant. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You only ever knew Vader," he told her. "He was a horrible person, I'm not going to deny that." Leia shook her head, glad that Luke had admitted such.

"But there was also good in him. Anakin Skywalker was a good man, I have no doubt of that. It was Anakin who killed the emperor and saved my life. It must have been Anakin who our mother loved and married, not Vader."

Leia rolled her eyes, knowing that it was pointless to argue with her brother about this. He wasn't there when Vader tortured her on the Death Star. Nor was he there when Alderaan was destroyed. For Leia, it didn't matter that Vader had killed the emperor. What he had done was unforgiveable, and for that he could never be redeemed regardless of what Luke said.

Noticing that they were at an impasse once again, Luke returned to the kitchen, more than a little frustrated at his sister's stubbornness. Just then, Han walked in, yawning loudly. Noticing the tension in the room, he stopped.

"What are you two talking about?" Han asked finally.

Leia smiled, amused by Han's obvious discomfort.

"We were talking about our mother, actually," Luke told him, carrying his breakfast over to the table.

"Oh yeah?" Han said, glancing quickly at Leia as he knew that this was surely going to be a sensitive topic for her. "Well, she must've been a pretty remarkable woman if she made you two."

"I guess," Leia said glumly.

A few awkward moments passed. Han cleared his throat, desperate to break the deafening silence. "So uh…" he began, thinking it wise to change the subject. "What's the plan for today?"

Luke looked up at Han, blinking a few times as he reemerged from his ponderings. "Oh, right. Well it's up to Leia, really, but I was thinking we could do some saber training this morning."

Leia nodded, her mood brightening somewhat. "I think that's a great idea, Han maybe we could even show you a thing or two."

Han grinned, glad that he had broken the ice a bit. "I don't know about that, I'll stick with my blaster."

"Suit yourself," Leia told him. Turning to Luke, she asked "Maybe we can use real sabers today, I'm just about ready to put in my crystal."

Luke nodded slowly, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Luke, did you hear me?"

"Yes, yes. Of course," he replied unconvincingly. "We should tread carefully though, I don't want you getting hurt."

Leia rolled her eyes, irked by Luke's trepidation. "I'm not going to hurt myself, Luke. I know what I'm doing, you know."

Luke gave her a doubtful look. "I just think it might be wise to wait until you're stronger with the Force, that's all."

Leia's face reddened in annoyance. She opened her mouth to retort, but seemingly thought better of it. Instead she stood up, pushing her chair in forcefully so that it slammed against the table. "If that's what you think," she said haughtily.

"Leia…"

Turning around, she marched out of the kitchen with a huff leaving a bewildered Luke and Han behind her. Groaning, Luke pushed his breakfast away and rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"What am I doing wrong, Han?" Luke asked after a brief silence. "I just don't understand her sometimes."

Han gave a humorless laugh. "Clearly you aren't familiar with women, are you kid?"

"And you are?" Luke retorted.

"More so than you, that's for sure."

Luke sighed, staring absentmindedly at his mechanical hand.

"Look, kid." Han began, suddenly feeling bad for acting so flippantly with the young Jedi. "Leia's a very capable and strong-willed person. I know you're worried for her, but you need to loosen the reigns a bit. She'll be fine."

"I know that, Han. But I also think she's hurting right now, more so than she lets on. I'm worried that she might do something impulsive…"

"Like this?" looking up, Luke saw his sister standing in the doorway, an activated blue lightsaber humming in her right hand. Mouth agape, Luke stared in disbelief.

"What… When did you… How—" Luke stuttered.

"Just now," Leia interrupted, deactivating the saber and reattaching it to her belt.

Looking over at Han, Luke noticed his friend was barely hiding his mirth at Luke's reaction to Leia's boldness. Giving his friend a sour look, Luke stood up, hands on his hips. "Well I guess we'll be using real sabers today."

Leia smiled, a glimmer in her eye. Victory felt sweet.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Luke and Leia had sparred for several hours later that morning. While Luke was clearly nervous at the beginning, Leia had given him no reason to validate his concerns, wielding her weapon expertly as he had taught her to do. That evening, Luke had gone to the meditation chamber, wishing to explore the thoughts and concerns that had swirling around his mind all day. Closing his eyes, Luke took in a deep breath, calmed by the soothing presence of the Force.

"_Something troubling you?" _

Luke smiled, his eyes still closed. Perhaps solitude would have to wait.

"Nothing I can't handle, father," Luke replied, opening his eyes to see the force ghost of Anakin Skywalker sitting cross legged in front of him.

Anakin returned his son's smile, a warm sense of fatherly pride surging through him. Anakin's grin faded, however, as he sensed his son's stress.

"_Luke, I want you to be able to confide in me."_

Luke closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "It's Leia," he said simply.

Anakin frowned slightly. _"What about her?" _he asked cautiously.

"She puts on a brave face, but I know she is in a lot of pain from her past. Pain which is only exacerbated through her training."

Anakin drooped his head, a sense of self-loathing brewing beneath the metaphysical surface. He had in large part been responsible for his daughter's pain, and he could never forgive himself for that fact.

"But she's too stubborn to ever admit it to me," Luke continued. "She's so guarded."

Anakin remained silent, so Luke continued, all of his concerns tumbling out unfiltered. "I just wish she could let me help her. But every time I do, she pushes me away. It's almost as if she resents me for trying to help. I feel so helpless, so powerless…"

Anakin looked up, a faint smile on his lips. _"You love her," _he said.

Luke nodded, surprised by the question. "Of course I do, she's my sister."

"_Remarkable," _Anakin muttered quietly _"You're so much like her…"_

"What do you mean, like who?" Luke asked.

"_Your mother," _Anakin replied.

Luke stiffened, hoping his father would say more. Never before had he heard his father talk about his mother. Luke had always reasoned that perhaps it was too painful for Anakin to talk about her, so he had never pried him for information. But now, his curiosity overwhelmed him.

"Would you tell me about her?" Luke asked softly.

Anakin looked away, the conflict evident in his face.

"I'm sorry," Luke said quickly. "I don't mean to pressure you."

"_No, it's OK Luke. You deserve to know about her. You both do."_

"Leia asked about her this morning, actually."

Anakin's curiosity was piqued at that. _"What did she ask?"_

Luke gave his father a sheepish look. "She was wondering how the woman she remembered could ever…" Luke trailed off, not sure how to put it politely.

"_How she could ever love me?"_

Luke nodded, relieved that his father understood.

Anakin sighed as he reminisced about his long-lost love. _"Your mother was an amazing woman, Luke," _he said finally. _"I never deserved her love."_

"Father, don't say that."

"_It's true, Luke. Just like I don't deserve your forgiveness."_

Luke grimaced, knowing that there was nothing he could say to change his father's mind.

"_In that way you remind me so much of her, Luke," _Anakin said solemnly. _"You may look like me on the outside, but on the inside you have her heart. _

Luke was silent, in part because he wasn't sure what to say in response to such a proclamation but mostly because he was simply too moved to speak. It was so clear how deeply Anakin loved and respected his son, and that affection was overwhelming to Luke who had never really had a father.

The sound of footsteps approaching broke the tender moment between father and son. Suddenly, Anakin tensed up as he sensed his daughter approaching.

"_I should go," _he whispered.

"You have to talk to her eventually," Luke reasoned, hoping his father would stay.

"Luke, are you in here?" he heard Leia call from the hallway. Spinning around, Luke caught glimpse of his sister's silhouette in the darkness. "I heard voices, is everything alright?"

"Of course, I was just talking to…" before he could finish however, he sensed his father's presence behind him fade away.

Leia walked into the chamber, an eyebrow raised. "Talking to whom?"

"Erm…" Luke paused, frustrated that Anakin was unwilling to talk to his own daughter. Luke knew that they couldn't put off this conversation forever, and now was as good of a time as ever. But perhaps Leia would not take kindly to seeing Anakin just yet. If Luke was being honest to himself, he was frightened about what the fallout of such a conversation could be. Leia's fiery temper and steadfast disgust for Vader had certainly not abated even after a month of training and solitude.

"Luke?"

"Nobody, I'm talking to no one. Just myself. Just me and…myself. I'm all alone, like a wolf," Luke stammered, wavering under Leia's piercing glare.

"Fine, keep your secrets," Leia told him bitterly. "Dinner's ready if you care to join us." With that, Leia turned around and left without waiting for a reply, clearly irked by Luke's dodgy behavior.

Sensing that his father's force ghost had returned, Luke turned around to face him. After Leia's footsteps faded away, he said "You know you're going to have to talk to her eventually."

Anakin sighed, knowing that his son was right but feeling uncertain regardless. _"I know, but part of me thinks that I have no right to have a place in her life."_

"That's ridiculous," Luke said, exasperated. "You're her father!"

Anakin looked away, the passion with which Luke spoke making him feel uncomfortable. _"Perhaps," _he relented. _"But not now, it's too soon."_

"You keep telling yourself that," Luke said with disappointment. As Luke left the chamber, Anakin gave out one last sigh before fading away once again.

* * *

The next morning started off very much like the last had, with Luke finding Leia sitting alone at the kitchen table. Luke took a deep breath, hoping to avoid another confrontation. Things had been very tense the past few days, and at this point Luke was hoping to placate his sister as much as possible and escape the tempest unscathed.

"Morning," he said cautiously, skirting around the table to fix himself some breakfast.

"Morning," Leia replied.

Knowing that he was tempting fate, Luke asked, "Why have you been getting up so early?"

"What, you don't enjoy my company?" Leia retorted playfully.

_Not lately, that's for sure _he thought to himself. "No, I've just never thought you were ever an early bird," Luke said, relieved that she seemed to be in a better mood.

"I'm not. I haven't been sleeping well, that's all."

"Why is that?" Luke asked, playing with fire.

Leia paused, suddenly uncomfortable under Luke's gaze. She fiddled with a strand of her hair absentmindedly for a few moments. "Dreams," she said simply after a while.

"Nightmares?"

"Not always, no."

Luke said nothing, wise enough to realize that probing any further would only irritate Leia. Instead they sat in a comfortable silence as Luke waited for Leia to elaborate. Just as he was about to concede defeat and acknowledge that this was as far as he was going to get today, Leia spoke.

"I've been dreaming about her."

Luke nodded, knowing of whom she spoke.

"Anything specific?"

Leia shook her head. "Not really… just glimpses of her." She paused again, her eyes transfixed on the table in front of her, clearly lost in the memory. "I need to find her, Luke."

Luke gave her a sad look. "She's gone, Leia."

"I know that," she responded tersely. "I meant I need to find who she was. Not knowing is killing me."

Luke nodded, an idea forming in his mind. "I know someone who can answer all of our questions."

Leia looked up at him, a confused expression on her face. "What do you mean? Who?"

Luke merely gave her a wan smile in response. _Now is the time, father _Luke thought.

Silence.

_I know you're there. _

Utterly bewildered, Leia opened her mouth to say something. A blue glimmer out of the corner of her eye stopped her, however. Turning to the hallway, she saw a tall man, a faint blue glow surrounding his figure. He was intimidating yet also familiar, although she couldn't explain why.

"_I understand my presence was requested?" _the man asked, a sincere expression only betrayed by a playful glimmer in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Leia demanded. The man said nothing as he stared intently at Leia. Disconcerted by the puzzling expression on his face, Leia turned to Luke. "Will someone tell me what is going on?"

Instead, Luke looked at the mysterious man, ignoring Leia's plea. "If you don't tell her, I will," Luke told him, an authoritative edge to his voice which Leia had never heard before.

The man drooped his head briefly, before returning his gaze to Leia, his piercing blue eyes unnerving her. _"Leia,"_ he said finally _"I am your father."_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Leia was too stunned to react. Her initial reaction was to dismiss the man in front of her as a fraud, but somehow she knew that what he said was true. That he was her father. Her incredulity was then replaced by rage; rage which was only exacerbated by the pained expression on her father's face, as if he was trying to convey remorse. She wouldn't let him; what he had done was unforgiveable and no amount of remorse could change that in her eyes.

As if acting on instinct, she grabbed her lightsaber and ignited it, the blue blade humming menacingly at her side. Seemingly unfazed by Leia's visceral reaction, Anakin took a step forward out of the shadows. Leia noticed that he was young, probably no older than herself. A jagged scar around his left eye the only mar on his otherwise handsome face. He looked nothing like she had ever imagined.

"_I'm not here to apologize," _he said, breaking the silence. _"I know there's nothing I could say to change your mind anyway."_

When he took another step forward, Leia pointed her lightsaber at his chest, her arm trembling. "Don't come any closer," she threatened. A glimmer of amusement passed over Anakin's face, but he acquiesced to her demand regardless.

"_As you wish," _he said simply, holding his hands in the air.

Playing the role as mediator, Luke stepped forward. "Leia, put your lightsaber away," he said calmly. "You can't touch him anyway, he's a ghost."

Keeping her eyes on her father, Leia slowly lowered the blade and extinguished it. After a few moments, she asked "How is this even possible?"

"Death is not necessarily the end," Luke told his sister. "Through the Force, the spirits of the deceased can communicate with us."

"How long have you been talking with him?" she asked in a low voice.

Luke hesitated, knowing that Leia would interpret his answer as a betrayal. Noticing his son's dilemma, Anakin responded instead. _"I have been in communication with Luke ever since I died." _

"Is that so?" Leia snarled, turning her attention to Luke. Unnerved by the Leia's vicious glare, Luke looked away. "Bonded, have you?"

Regaining his courage, Luke met his sister's gaze. "Leia, please. He's only here to tell us about our mother. Here him out, would you?"

"Here him out?" Leia replied indignantly. Part of her was outraged that Luke had been consorting with the devil all this time, but the other part was desperately curious to know more about her mother. Even if it meant talking with Vader.

"Fine," she said bitterly. "Talk."

"_What do you wish to know?"_

"Did you ever love her?" Leia asked in an accusatory tone.

"_From the moment I met her."_

Leia faltered at that, as she had never considered Vader of having the capacity to love. But it was clear that he was being truthful with her_. He's still a monster _she reminded herself, _this doesn't change anything. _

"What was her name?" she heard Luke ask softly.

"_She had many," _Anakin replied. _"But to me she was always Padme."_

"What do you mean she had many?" Leia asked, her bitterness giving way to her curiosity.

"Her birth name was Padme Naberrie, but when she became queen of Naboo she adopted the regal name Amidala. I suppose when she married me, she became a Skywalker as well, although we could never tell anyone of our marriage."

Leia was too stunned for words. _Senator Amidala is my mother?_

"She was a queen?" she heard Luke ask incredulously.

_This is too much _Leia thought, her head spinning. _How could this possibly be true?_

"_She was elected queen when she was fourteen," _Anakin told him. _"After her term ended she represented Naboo as a senator."_

"Leia, are you all right," Luke asked, noticing his sister's ashen expression.

Leia shook her head slowly, her eyes still transfixed on Anakin's ghostly figure. "This is too much…" she mumbled to herself. "I'm sorry, I just… I can't do this."

"Leia…" Luke called after her as she stumbled past Anakin out of the kitchen. Anakin sighed, a sullen expression on his face.

"Hey, that went better than I think either of us though it would," Luke told Anakin. "She'll come around eventually."

Anakin smiled at his son, wishing he could share his optimism. _"I hope so," _he said wistfully. _"Until then, I suggest you go to Naboo. It was at Varykino in the Lake Country where your mother and I fell in love and were married."_

Luke nodded, eager to visit the planet renowned for its beauty. "I'll have to ask Leia. Perhaps this is what she needs."

"_Perhaps," _Anakin mused, his lips pursed. _"In the meantime, I think it best if we avoided talking to each other."_

Luke nodded, agreeing on a rational level but he couldn't help but feel sad.

Recognizing his son's mood, Anakin reached out and put his hand on Luke's shoulder. While he of course couldn't feel his father's hand, the gesture made Luke smile nonetheless.

"_Until then, goodbye my son." _

"Goodbye father." With that, Luke was left alone in the middle of the kitchen. His brief reprieve was interrupted however, when he heard heavy, familiar footsteps approaching.

"Morning, Han," Luke said wearily without looking up,

"What's up with you?"

Luke snorted as he turned to fix himself something to eat. "More family drama," he said.

"You get into another fight with Leia?" Han asked.

"In a sense."

"What does that mean?"

Luke sighed, not sure how much he wanted to disclose to Han without his sister's consent. Besides, it's not as if Han would believe him anyway if he told him exactly what had just gone down.

"I think Leia should be the one to tell you," Luke said eventually. "You just missed her, she stormed off to her room a minute ago."

_Since when did I become a therapist? _Han thought to himself, not looking forward to confronting Leia. "OK, I will. But not until after breakfast. Lesson number one about women," Han told Luke seriously, holding up a finger. "Never talk to them on an empty stomach."

Luke laughed for what felt like the first time in weeks. "It's good to have you back, Han."

* * *

Later that morning, Han went upstairs to Leia's room. Taking a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the daunting task ahead of him, he knocked on Leia's door. "It's Han. I want to talk to you." Hearing no response, Han pushed the door open slowly, highly conscious that he may be entering the proverbial lion's den. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Han made out Leia's petite figure sitting cross-legged on the bed. In her hand, she clutched a datapad which provided the only light in the room apart from that from the hallway. As he approached the bed cautiously, Han saw that Leia was staring raptly at the portrait of a regal looking woman on the datapad.

"Who are you looking at?" Han asked gently, totally out of his element.

Leia didn't respond, not even acknowledging Han's presence. As his eyes better adjusted to the darkness, he was startled to see that Leia's face was wet with tears. Acting on instinct, Han reached out and put his hand on her knee.

"When I was growing up on Alderaan," Leia began softly almost in a whisper. "I always idolized her. She was my hero, I wanted to be just like her." Suddenly embarrassed, Leia wiped away her tears with her sleeve. Clearing her throat, she continued in a stronger voice. "I felt connected to her for as long as I can remember. We were both royalty, after all."

Han nodded, unsure of where Leia was going with this but wisely decided not to say anything.

"When I became a politician, my… guardians were so proud of me. Dad even told me that…" Leia's face scrunched up, but she willed herself not to cry in front of Han. "He told me that I was just like her." She began to shake as her emotions began to bubble over, fresh tears cascading down her cheek. Han put his other arm on Leia's back, gently caressing it.

After a while, Leia regained her composure and sat up strait, taking a deep breath as she did so. Swinging her legs off the other side of the bed, she stood up with surprising grace. "Where's Luke?" she asked, the vulnerability suddenly gone from her voice, replaced by an ominous steeliness.

"Down stairs, I think he's still in the kitchen," Han replied, surprised by her rapid transformation.

Leia nodded. "Good, we need to talk."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

Luke looked up from his toast, immediately fearful of the steely tone of his sister's voice.

"Why didn't you tell me you were talking with him?" Leia demanded, her arms crossed.

"You know why," Luke responded coolly, determined not to let Leia browbeat him.

Leia scoffed at him. "You think I'm weak," she spat. "You think you're better than me."

Luke couldn't help but roll his eyes, serving only to infuriate Leia further. "You know that's not true."

"Then why didn't you tell me!" she screamed, her rage tearing to the surface. Luke backed away instinctively, shying away from the darkness emanating Leia.

"Leia, calm down…"

"Don't tell me to calm down! DON'T TELL ME TO DO ANYTHING!"

Just then Han entered the kitchen, clearly concerned by the ensuing shouting match. "Cool it Princess," Han told her tactlessly.

"Stay out of this, Han," she growled at him ominously. Ignoring her warning, Han reached out to grab her shoulder. Leia spun around in a rage to slap his hand away, but before she could, Han had been flung across the room, pinned a foot in the air against the wall, his hands clutching his throat. Startled, she looked at Luke, thinking that he had done this.

"Let him go, Leia!" Luke hollered at her.

Her anger melted away into surprise and then into regret as she realized what she had done. Stunned, Leia stumbled backwards as Han collapsed in a heap onto the floor. "Han, I'm so sorry…" she said, stepping forward to help him up. Han scooted away from her, however, his eyes shining with fear.

"Stay away from me," he said, his hand instinctively hovering over his holster. Freezing, Leia looked over to Luke once again. Luke was staring back at her, his eyes steely.

"Han," Luke said, his eyes never leaving Leia's. "Perhaps you should leave us."

Han's eyes darted over to Luke. More than happy to oblige, Han got to his feet quickly and staggered out of the kitchen, skirting around Leia as he did so.

After Han had left, Luke addressed Leia again. "Have a seat," he said in an even voice, his hand gesturing to the chair opposite him at the table. Trembling with regret, fear, and residual rage, Leia sat down.

"Congratulations," Luke said icily, surprising Leia. "You have learned to channel the dark side."

"The dark side?" Leia asked, bewildered.

Luke nodded solemnly. "Anger is the quickest path to the dark side," he reminded her sternly. "I have told you this countless times, yet it seems you have not heeded my teachings." Leia looked at her feet, suddenly ashamed. "Perhaps you don't respect me as a teacher."

Leia looked up. "Of course I do, Luke!"

"No, you do not," Luke responded firmly. "I understand; I'm just your farm boy brother, who am I to teach Princess Leia Organa," he said sarcastically.

Leia opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off. "You don't understand the significance of your powers!" Luke bellowed, perversely enjoying watching his sister squirm under his verbal assault for a change. "I am the only one in the entire galaxy," he told her, pausing for emphasis "who can teach you to harness your abilities."

Leia swallowed hard, shocked at the intensity of Luke's tirade. Taking a deep breath, Luke approached her slowly. "Let me teach you," he pleaded with her, the uncharacteristic anger gone from his voice. "Only through me can you realize your potential."

Nodding fiercely, Leia suddenly stood up and wrapped her arms around Luke tightly, sobs racking her body. "I'm so sorry, Luke," she told him, the whirlwind of emotions overwhelming her. "I'm so, so sorry."

Surprised, Luke hesitated briefly before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her back tightly. "It's okay," he cooed, hoping that he had finally gotten through to her. The siblings stayed that way for a minute, both recovering from their respective bouts of rage.

"You need to let me help you," Luke whispered to her. "After everything you've been through, I understand why you're angry." Leia sniffled in response, her cheek resting against Luke's chest. "But don't let the darkness consume you, Leia," he warned her ominously. "Let me steer you to the light."

Leia nodded, relishing in her brother's warm and comforting embrace. Regaining her composure, Leia took a step away out of Luke's arms.

"I didn't mean to hurt Han," she said, wiping tears away for the umpteenth time that day. "I'm afraid, Luke. I'm afraid of myself."

Luke gave her a sympathetic look and put his hands on her shoulders. "I know you didn't mean to," he told her. "But don't be afraid, Leia. We should never rely on the darkness, but that doesn't mean we should avoid it forever."

Leia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Your scars run too deep," he told her, squeezing her shoulders gently. "I would be a fool if I thought I could purge the darkness from you entirely."

"What are you telling me, Luke?" she asked, perplexed.

"I will teach you to control the darkness within you. Only then will you be able heal and harness your full powers."

"You want me to use the dark side?" Leia asked incredulously

Luke removed his hands from her shoulders and looked away, clearly deep in thought. After a brief silence, he continued. "In a sense, yes," he said. "But the Force doesn't make that distinction. We can channel the darkness without letting it consume us, Leia. That was how I defeated Vader, with a combination of the light and the dark, with love and anger."

Leia stared back at her brother with wide eyes, stunned by this admission. "That can't be possible, Luke. I've never seen you angry before," she told him. "Well, until now that is," she admitted sheepishly.

"Nobody is ever fully light or fully dark. Not me, not you," he paused staring her right in the eyes, "not even Vader." Leia stiffened, too stubborn to admit that Luke might be right but too exhausted to argue with him about it. Noticing Leia's discomfort, Luke took her right hand. "Come, let me show you what happened on the Death Star. Perhaps you will understand then."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Taking Leia by the hand, Luke led her back upstairs to the meditation chamber. Once inside he gestured for her to take her traditional seat in the center of the room as Luke assumed his position opposite her.

"I've never done this before, but I'm sure it can be done," he told her. "I want you to focus on my force presence and ignore everything else."

Leia nodded and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to dissociate from her body and venture out into the Force as she had done countless times before. This time, however, she concentrated exclusively on Luke's vivid force presence, relishing in its warmth and purity. As she drew closer to his presence, however, she noticed a coldness she had never felt from him before. Trusting Luke implicitly, she drew nearer to him, merging their concioussnesses. As she did so, shapes began to materialize in front of her. Suddenly, she heard the unmistakable sounds of a battle, but they were distant. For some reason she began to feel frustrated and helpless, but she couldn't explain why.

An evil sounding voice from behind her shook Leia from her ruminations. _"Your fleet is lost, and your friends on the Endor moon will not survive."_ Turning around, Leia saw the decrepit emperor sitting on his throne, his loyal henchman Vader standing attentively at his side. The emperor continued: "_There is no escape, my young apprentice." _Looking up at Vader, she saw her biological father standing stoically, his mask revealing nothing, and yet she could feel something brewing within him. _"The alliance will die, as will your friends."_

A hot flash of rage coursed through her, incensed by the despicable man in front of her. _"Good," _the emperor whispered, seemingly aroused by her disgust of him. _"I feel your anger. I am defenseless, take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey to the dark side will be complete!" _Looking away, Leia looked out at the battle ensuing far away, desperately trying to keep her rage in check. It was at this moment that she understood what was happening: she was experiencing Luke's mental anguish. She felt Luke's desperation to save his friends, his remorse that he was unable to turn his father, but most of all she felt his rage towards the emperor.

Abruptly, she turned to the emperor and summoned the lightsaber, igniting it quickly. Slashing down at the emperor, she was rebuffed by Vader's equally quick reflexes, as their blades met in front of the cackling emperor.

Suddenly, the figures in front of her dissipated and rematerialized. She was hiding by a post underneath the floor where she had just been. She felt Luke desperately trying to compose himself and keep his anger at bay.

"_You cannot hide forever Luke," _she heard the mechanical voice of Vader somewhere nearby, chilling her to the bone.

"I will not fight you," Luke called out, causing Leia to panic. _Shut up, Luke! _she thought, knowing that she had no control over the situation. Vader turned around, trying to determine from where the voice had come.

"_Give yourself to the dark side," _Vader said. _"It is the only way you can save your friends." _Vader paused, sensing Luke's presence. _"Yes. Your thoughts betray you, your feelings for them are strong. Especially for… sister." _She felt a bolt of fear and rage course through Luke, which he desperately tried to stymie. _ "So, you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me, now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will." _

Overwhelmed by the anger billowing inside him, Luke gave out a scream and ignited his green lightsaber, charging towards the unsuspecting Vader. She watched through Luke's eyes as he blindly swung his weapon at Vader, grace and tactics giving way to raw power. Pushing Vader back, she felt a surge in confidence as she noticed the cyborg falter under Luke's relentless assault. Falling down, Vader held his red blade in front of him, desperately trying to shield himself from Luke's heavy blows. With one last great heave, Luke sliced off Vader's mechanical hand and pointed his lightsaber at Vader's breastplate.

The wretched sound of the emperor cackling behind her ruined the moment of triumph. _"Good," _he called out, descending the stairs towards her. Turning around she saw the emperor watching her hungrily. _"Your hatred has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny, take your father's place at my side!"_ Turning back to look down at the defeated Vader, she stared at her father's truncated arm. Flexing her right hand habitually, she experienced a heavy sense of dread as she realized what Luke had just done. Recoiling at the realization that Luke had just committed the same offense that Vader had done to him on Cloud City, she extinguished her weapon in defiance and turned back to the emperor.

"_Never," _Luke said, flinging his lightsaber away. _"I'll never turn to the dark side." _The emperor's face contorted at Luke's proclamation. _"I am a Jedi," _Luke continued defiantly. _"Like my father before me."_

Trembling with rage at Luke's obstinacy, the emperor growled _"So be it, Jedi." _Raising his arms slowly, the emperor continued. _"If you will not turn, you will be destroyed."_ A brilliant flash of blue lightning was emitted from the emperor's hands, pushing Leia off her feet and engulfing her in an inferno of pain. In a haze, Leia noticed Vader get to his feet, his breathing apparatus clearly compromised.

"_Young fool," _the emperor said bitterly. _"Only now at the end do you understand." _Releasing another bolt of lightning, Leia recoiled in agony.

"_Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side."_ Shocking her again, Leia fell to the floor, certain that she wouldn't be able to withstand the onslaught much longer. _"You will pay the price for your lack of vision."_

"_Father, please!" _Luke called out to Vader in desperation to no avail. After what felt like an eternity, the emperor ceased shocking her.

"_Now young Skywalker… you will die." _The emperor paused briefly, relishing in Leia's agony before resuming the lightning. Leia screamed out, every part of her body feeling as if it were on fire.

"_No," _she heard Vader say. _"No!" _Grasping the diminutive emperor, Vader lifted the man into the air. Looking up in confusion, Leia saw bolts of lightning radiating in every direction out of the emperor's hands as Vader held him aloft above his head. Throwing him over the railing, the emperor's screams faded as he fell hundreds of feet down the reactor shaft. Exhausted by the effort, Vader collapsed to his knees. Running over to him, Leia pulled the dying man away from the railing. Gazing into the black eyes of Vader's mask, she felt her surroundings dissolve around her, fading into nothingness. The pitiful sound of Vader's labored breathing grew softer as well until it too disappeared.

Separating herself from Luke's consciousness, Leia tore her eyes open. Acclimating herself to her surroundings, she saw Luke open his eyes as well, a solemn expression on his face.

Eventually, Luke broke the silence. "Do you understand now that you have seen things through my eyes?" he asked.

Leia said nothing, her body trembling from the intimate experience.

"You felt my rage, did you not?" Leia nodded, remembering Luke's overwhelming anger. "I hated the emperor for threating my friends, for destroying the Alliance. But I also hated my father…" Luke said, trailing off.

"You wanted to protect me," Leia said in a whisper, touched by her brother's unequivocal love for her.

Luke nodded. "When he sensed you…" Luke said slowly. "When he learned about you, I thought I had no choice but to kill him. My own father." Luke shut his eyes tightly, disgusted with himself.

"But you didn't," Leia reminded him softly.

"No, I did not," Luke concurred. "When I saw what I had done, I realized that I had become what I sought to destroy. It was love, Leia," Luke told her passionately. "Love for the man I wanted my father to be stopped me from killing him. And in the end, it was that love which turned him back to the light." Luke paused, looking down at his gloved hand thoughtfully. "So now you see, the symbiosis between light and dark. I used my anger to defeat our father, but it was through love that I was able to turn him."

Leia shook her head, marveling at her brother's courage and wisdom.

"I don't expect you to forgive Vader right away," Luke continued. "But you must understand that hatred alone is ultimately powerless."

Leia closed her eyes, remembering the moment Vader turned on the emperor and saved Luke's life. Luke had told her what had happened on the Death Star, but having now experienced it through Luke's eyes she suddenly appreciated the magnitude of Vader's act.

"Maybe someday I will… come to terms with him," Leia admitted finally, choosing her words carefully. "But I will never love him like you do, Luke."

Luke merely bowed his head in response. "You don't have to," he said after a long silence. "But you will learn to love him in your own way, of this I am certain."

Not wanting to crush her brother's optimism, Leia remained silent.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Thoroughly exhausted from the tumultuous day, Luke and Leia decided to retire early that evening. Yet when she lay down to go to sleep, Leia found that she couldn't, her mind still whirling from the events of the day. She still felt angry at Luke for not telling her that he had been in communication with Vader. How could he forgive him so easily? Sure, she could understand feeling some gratitude towards him for having saved Luke's life on the Death Star, especially now that she had experienced the traumatic event through Luke's own eyes, but this still did not undo Vader's crimes.

Most of all, however, Leia felt guilty for having hurt Han. Part of her wanted to dismiss this guilt and tell herself that the nerf-herder deserved what he had got, but she knew this wasn't true. She knew that Han was just trying, in his own unrefined way, to diffuse the tense situation that was developing. She couldn't purge the image of Han pinned up against the wall from her mind. Nor could she forget the terrified look in his eyes when he looked at her. It was the face one made towards a monster.

Determining that she couldn't get any sleep until she eased her conscience, Leia slipped out of the bed and tip toed out of the room. Walking down the hall, she made her way towards Han's room. She had thought about doing something like this over the past few days, but never had she imagined that she'd be doing it under these circumstances. _What if he can't forgive me? _Leia though to herself nervously. _Will he from now on see me as a monster?_

Pausing in front of Han's door, Leia composed herself, willing away her fears as she had taught herself to do. Taking a deep breath, Leia rapped on the door tentatively. No response. Leia sighed, paradoxically both disappointed and relieved that Han had not answered her. She knew he was inside, however, she could sense it.

"Han, I know you don't want to talk to me right now," she told him through the door. "But I want to tell you I'm sorry for what I did to you." Leia paused, knowing that she had his attention even though he wasn't responding. "I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you and… and that I love you." Deciding that this was good enough, Leia turned from the door and returned to her room.

* * *

Leia spent the night in a frustrating quasi-state in between sleep and wake. Eventually she gave up trying to fall asleep, and went downstairs. _At least I didn't have any dreams _Leia thought to herself glumly as she shivered in the early morning chill. Entering the kitchen, she was surprised to see that Luke had beat her to the kitchen that morning.

"Morning," he greeted her cheerfully, his mood seemingly unaffected by the earliness of the hour.

Leia merely grunted in response, too tired to exchange pleasantries.

"Didn't sleep well?" Luke asked, noticing Leia's frazzled hair and grumpy demeanor.

Leia snorted. "Not at all."

"I take it Han didn't receive your apology?" Luke asked innocently.

Leia gave him a suspicious look. "How did you know about that?"

Luke shrugged. "An educated guess."

Scowling at him, Leia sat down at the table, not having much of an appetite.

"He'll forgive you, Leia," Luke assured her. "You just need to give him time."

Leia remained silent, electing instead to run her hands through her tangled hair. Changing the subject, Leia asked "So what's the plan for today?"

"Well I was going to wait until Han was here to tell you this, but he might not be up for hours," Luke said.

"Tell me what?"

Luke gave her a half smile. "I was thinking that we should go to Naboo," he said, conveniently leaving out the part about Anakin being the one who had suggested the idea.

Leia brightened up considerably at the proposition. "Oh Luke, I'd love to do that!"

Encouraged by her enthusiasm, Luke broadened his smile. "I thought you might. We've spent far too long on this snowball."

Leia laughed, her excitement rousing her from her grogginess. Her smile faded however, as a realization dawned on her. "What about Han?" she asked

"What about him?"

"Well, we need him to get to Naboo… I don't imagine he'll want to spend much time around me after what happened," Leia said morosely.

Luke took pause at that. On the one hand, he was pleased that Leia was feeling bad about her brief dark side tryst. But most of all, he hated to see his normally confident and exuberant sister be so down on herself. He couldn't allow her to wallow in self-loathing and guilt like Anakin.

"Leia, listen to me," Luke began softly yet firmly. "You can't let this one thing dominate your life. You've acknowledged that it was a mistake and you've apologized to Han, there's nothing more you need to do. Han will forgive you eventually, I guarantee you that."

Leia frowned and looked away, not convinced by Luke's assurances. "You didn't see the way he looked at me, Luke," Leia said, recalling the look of pure terror on Han's face. "I… I can't bear to lose him," Leia admitted. "Besides you, he is all I have left."

"You're not going to lose him," Luke insisted

_You don't know that, _Leia thought to herself forlornly.

"Well instead of sulking around, how about we do something productive in the meantime," Luke suggested, eager to distract Leia from her despair.

Leia nodded half-heartedly.

"Come on, sparring is a great way to get your mind off things," Luke insisted.

Leia sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get out of this. "Fine, I'll be right there. I just have to get changed."

"Great," Luke said, noting how unenthusiastic Leia even though sparring was by far her favorite aspect of Jedi training.

* * *

After about an hour of sparring, Luke could tell that Leia's heart wasn't in it so he decided to show mercy and let her go. Frustrated, Luke stayed behind and blew off steam by practicing against the remote. After a while, Luke grew bored of the remote and decided to call it a day.

Returning to the kitchen, Luke found Han sitting at the table alone, his blaster in his hand. Cautiously, Luke approached him.

"What you doing with that?" he asked.

Han looked up, startled by Luke's sudden appearance. "Huh? Oh this… I was just cleaning it," Han said, nodding at a bottle of polish on the table. "Figured I'd neglected it for long enough."

Luke nodded, unsure of what to do. "Well," he began after a moment's pause. "Leia and I were talking this morning and we decided we want to go to Naboo."

"Oh yeah?" Han replied. "Why is that?"

Luke hesitated, once again unsure about how much to disclose to Han without consulting Leia. "I think Leia should be the one to tell you," Luke said cautiously, watching closely for Han's reaction.

Han sighed and reattached his blaster to his holster. Leaning back in his chair, Han stared at the ceiling pensively, a curious expression on his face.

"You have to forgive her, Han," Luke insisted eventually, perturbed by Han's silence.

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" Han repeated.

"Because she loves you Han."

Han scoffed. "Yeah, she's sure good at showing that."

"That's not fair, you have no idea what she's going through" Luke retorted.

Han gave Luke a menacing glare, unnerving Luke immensely. "You know what, your right. I don't know anything about her anymore. You're the only one she talks to. Nobody tells me anything around here."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked incredulously.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Han replied angrily. "Ever since I came here, you've been keeping secrets from me."

"We're not keeping secrets from you, Han. It's just…"

"Just what?" Han interrupted. "You think I won't understand? Huh? Because I'm not a _Jedi_?" he said, putting air quotes around the word 'Jedi.'

"Of course not."

"Then why?" Han asked accusatively.

Luke sighed, utterly exhausted at this point by the incessant feuding. "I'm sorry, Han," Luke said finally. "I've just been trying so hard to help Leia these past few days, I haven't treated you fairly."

"Yeah," Han said bitterly, unmoved by Luke's heartfelt apology. "Nobody ever thinks about me." With that, Han stormed out of the room petulantly, leaving an exasperated Luke alone in the center of the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Han hid in his room for the remainder of the day, unable to face either of the twins. He was irritated at Luke's condescending attitude. During the few days he had been on Ilum, Han had felt very much like a third wheel. Neither Luke nor Leia had told him what was going on, and instead they had used him as a messenger boy. Being flung across the room and choked was the last straw for Han who was not used to feeling so disregarded and manipulated. While Luke had denied it, Han knew the two young Jedi didn't view Han as an equal, but merely as an amusing and handy companion. Han had had enough of it.

Deciding that he couldn't ignore his hunger any longer, Han left his room that evening to get some dinner. As he approached, he heard voices and he prepared himself for a nasty encounter. Hiding in the shadows, Han observed Luke and Leia interact in the kitchen. Snarling, Han watched as Luke provided a melancholy Leia with a bowl of a stew of some kind. Han knew it was irrational, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. Before he had known that they were siblings, Han had always viewed Luke as competition and Han had been determined to win. It seemed perverse now, but Han had known that Luke had always had a thing for the Princess and it irritated him immensely to see Leia spend so much time with her brother.

_But she doesn't care about you anymore _Han thought bitterly to himself. She had thrown him across the room with a casual flick of the wrist, utterly unconcerned about his wellbeing. Perhaps she never had cared about him, maybe he had been a fool all along for thinking that…

"Han, please join us," he heard Luke say from the kitchen.

Startled from his musings, Han instinctively stepped back farther into the shadows. Regaining himself, Han adopted a determined expression and stepped into the kitchen.

"I made you a bowl," Luke told Han warmly, gesturing to a steaming bowl of stew at the head of the table. Choosing not to acknowledge Luke's kindness, Han sat down. Avoiding Leia's eyes from across the table, Han turned to Luke instead.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked suspiciously.

Luke merely smiled. "You have a very distinct presence, Han," he said vaguely.

Scowling, Han looked down at his stew. On a rational level, Han knew that he was ridiculous to resent Luke. After all they had been through together, Luke was like a little brother to him. But Han was nothing if not stubborn; he had been slighted and was determined to seek retribution.

"So…" Luke began after an awkward pause. "We were hoping to leave for Naboo tomorrow morning." Getting no response, Luke continued. "Leia and I would be very grateful if you would accompany us, Han."

Han snorted. "Accompany you? You do realize it's my ship you'd be taking?"

Luke paled, realizing his mistake. Before he could formulate a diplomatic way of explaining himself, however, Leia spoke.

"You have some nerve, fly boy," she said in a low voice. Luke cringed, realizing that they had reached the point of no return. "I don't care if your angry at me, but don't you dare take it out on Luke."

Han scoffed at her. "You don't _care_ if I'm angry at you?" he responded indignantly.

"Get over yourself," Leia retorted. "I've said I'm sorry already, what more do you want?"

"For you to actually mean it!"

Han and Leia stared daggers at each other for a few moments in silence as Luke held his breath, desperate to find a way to avoid to impending conflagration. "Would you like my advice?" Luke ventured cautiously.

"No, not really," Han mumbled, still fixated on Leia. Leia merely narrowed her eyes at Han, making no indication that she had heard Luke.

"Well, I don't think either of you are being fair towards the other," Luke began, choosing to ignore Han's comment. "Han, if Leia apologized to you, I think you ought to take her at her word. And Leia," he said, turning his attention to his fuming sister, "if you really want Han's forgiveness, maybe you should explain yourself instead of screaming at him."

A tense silence of ensued as Han and Leia absorbed what Luke said. After a while, Leia was the first to speak.

"Han, I understand why you're upset," she began with uncharacteristic calmness. "But I've apologized, what more do you want from me?"

Han looked away, his anger fading away into weariness. "Ever since Endor," Han began slowly, "I've felt like you two have… shut me out. I just thought that after all we've been through, I would have earned your trust, but evidently that is not the case."

"Of course we trust you, Han!" Luke exclaimed.

"Then tell me what is going on!" Han retorted forcefully.

Luke and Leia looked at each other, seemingly communicating silently. Lowering her head, Leia exhaled slowly. After a few tenuous moments, Leia looked up at Han with a pained expression on her face. "You deserve to know, Han," she conceded. "We never told you because we feared that you would hate us if you knew the truth…"

"Hate you?" Han interrupted incredulously "What are you talking about?"

Leia looked at Luke once again who gave her a reassuring nod. "It's about our parents," she said.

Han raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't know your parents?"

"That's not entirely true," Leia responded. "We've actually known for a while now who our father is."

"I don't understand, why would you hide that from me?"

Leia sighed. "Because our father is Darth Vader."

Leaning back in his chair, Han shook his head in disbelief. "That can't possibly be true," he said, more to himself than to Leia. "That… that's not possible."

Luke gave a humorless laugh. "That was my reaction too when I found out."

"B-but Vader's a cyborg, he's not even human," Han stammered. "He couldn't… you can't be…"

"Han," Leia interrupted him firmly. "It is the truth."

Han sat in a stunned silence, his face paling as he considered the implications of this information. "He tortured you, Leia," Han said in a whisper. "What sort of a monster does that to his own daughter?"

Leia looked away, her eyes shining with tears. "He didn't know it at the time," Luke said softly. "Not that that excuses anything he did."

Han nodded in agreement, too flabbergasted to speak. "Now do you understand why we kept this from you?" Luke asked.

Han stared blankly at Luke, seeing his friend in an entirely new light. Suddenly Luke's powers no longer seemed amazing to him, instead they terrified him. Glancing at Leia, he thought back to what had happened yesterday morning. The raw terror he had felt when he had been pinned against the wall, unable to breath, was only comparable to the time he had come face to face with Vader himself on Cloud City.

"We aren't like him, Han," Luke said, sensing his friend's thoughts. "Surely you must know that."

"I… I need to think about this," Han said finally, standing up abruptly.

Luke nodded solemnly. "I understand, but Han remember that you don't need to fear us."

_I'll be the judge of that, _Han thought as he swiftly left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Luke spent the next morning packing in solitude, as neither Han nor Leia had yet to emerge from their respective rooms. Han was understandably still shocked and perhaps even frightened about the proverbial bombshell he and Leia had dropped on him last night. Meanwhile, Leia had been crestfallen at Han's negative reaction, convinced that by telling him the truth she had lost Han forever. None of Luke's reassurances seemed to have had any effect on her, and Luke had finally given up trying to cheer her up.

Once he had finished packing what few belongings they had brought with them, Luke left the chamber to go find Han and Leia. Stopping at Han's room first, Luke rapped on the door, hoping Han would agree to take them to Naboo. A disheveled Han answered the door, tussled hair and dark rings around his eyes indicating he had not got much sleep.

"Hey, kid," he mumbled, yawning loudly.

"Hey," Luke replied, encouraged that Han had bothered to answer the door. "I've finished packing, I wanted to know if you've decided to come with us."

Han gave Luke a puzzled look. "Oh, right," he said, realizing what Luke was talking about. "Yeah, I uh…"

"Look, you don't have to come with us if you're uncomfortable," Look told him.

"What? You thought I was going to let you fly my ship without me? Of course I'm going with you," he said matter-of-factly.

Luke grinned broadly and reached out to grasp Han's hand enthusiastically. "That's fantastic! I'd like to leave in an hour or so, will that work?"

"Sure, I don't have much to pack anyway."

"Great, I'll see you at the Falcon soon then," Luke said. Turning away to go tell Leia the good news, Luke didn't see Han's smile fade into a frown behind him.

* * *

A few hours later, Luke and Han were in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon preparing to take off. Han had given a concerted effort to appear as if nothing was wrong, but Luke could sense an underlying tension and trepidation in his friend; it was clear that Han had yet to come to terms with Luke and Leia's parentage.

"You sure you're up for this?" Han asked Luke for the umpteenth time. "I know you can fly, kid, but being a co-pilot is a bit different."

Luke rolled his eyes, more amused than annoyed by Han's lack of confidence in him. "I can handle it, Han."

Han gave Luke a doubtful look, but said no more as he did a final check up on the ship. Leaving Han in the cockpit, Luke wandered off to the main hold where he found Leia sitting alone at the holographic game board.

"We're about to take off," he told her as he approached.

Leia looked up and gave him a weak smile. "I can't wait," she told him. "I've always wanted to go to Naboo."

"Me too," Luke told her truthfully. "Maybe we both knew deep down that we belonged there."

Leia looked down at the table in front of her, her expression indiscernible. "Do you remember sitting here after we escaped the Death Star?" she asked suddenly.

"Of course," Luke replied, surprised by the subject change.

"I remember wondering why I was the one comforting you," she said, smiling faintly. "After all, I had just witnessed my planet get destroyed."

Luke gave her a sheepish look, embarrassed by how inconsiderate he had been at the time.

"I couldn't bear to see you look so depressed, though," Leia continued. "I felt so close to you, even then. At the time I thought it was just because I felt indebted to you for having rescued me, but deep down I must have always known."

Luke sat down next to her, suddenly intrigued. "What do you mean you knew?" he asked.

Leia shrugged. "It's not really knowing," she said after a moment's deliberation. "But from the moment you stormed into my cell on the Death Star, I felt a connection with you that I had never had with anyone else before." Pausing for a moment, she continued: "I felt the same way towards Senator… towards our mother, even though I had never met her."

Luke stared at her in awe, realizing how strong his sister was with the Force without her even knowing it. Just then, Luke heard footsteps approaching.

"Luke, have you gone deaf?" he heard Han call from the hallway. "I need you in the…" Han faltered as he entered the main hold and saw Leia. "Erm…" he said, clearing his throat to try and hide his obvious discomfort. "We're ready to take off," he said brusquely.

"I'll be right there," Luke told him. Nodding, Han scurried off to the cockpit. Noticing the forlorn expression on Leia's face, Luke put a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder.

"He'll come around eventually, you'll see," he told her, fervently hoping that he was right. When Leia made no reply, Luke stood up to leave. "I'll see you when we enter hyperspace," he told her as he exited the main hold.

* * *

Taking off from Ilum's snowy surface, the Millennium Falcon glided out of the atmosphere without any issues. Leaving the holy planet behind, Han busied himself with the calculations for the trip to Naboo.

"Naboo's pretty far away, right?" Luke asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, it's on the other side of the galaxy," Han replied. "We won't be there for a few days."

Remembering the palpable tension between Han and Leia a few minutes ago in the main hold, Luke cringed internally. _This is not going to be a fun trip _Luke thought to himself. The two friends sat in silence for a few minutes as Han double checked his calculations. Luke watched Han curiously as he worked. It was becoming abundantly clear to Luke that there was much more to Han than what met the eye. In other words, the persona of the self-made space pirate was just a façade, carefully designed to hide his vulnerable interior. _He must be as afraid to lose Leia as she is of losing him, _Luke realized. _Then why is he pushing her away? _

"All set," Han declared, rousing Luke from his thoughts. "Entering hyperspace in 3…2…1…" Pushing the lever, the two were pushed back in their seats as the Millennium Falcon accelerated rapidly into hyperspace. Verifying once again that everything was as it should be, Han unbuckled himself from his chair, not sure what to do with himself now that they were in hyperspace.

Noticing Han's predicament, Luke stood up. "Come on," he told him. "Leia and I want to talk with you."

Han wringed his hands, his eyes fixated on the controls panel.

"Han, please join us," Luke pleaded.

Realizing that he couldn't avoid Leia forever, Han stood up. "OK, I'm coming."

Grinning boyishly, Luke clapped Han on the back before turning around to leave the cockpit. Just as he did, however, they heard a scream from the main hold.

"Get away from me!" they heard Leia's yell, followed by the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber being activated. "Leave me alone!"

Giving Han a startled look, Luke grabbed his own lightsaber and ran off to the main hold.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It had seemed like a great idea at the time. After all, what father wouldn't feel justified in trying to reach out to their daughter? Of course, Anakin had known that reaching out to Leia was a risk, especially given her visceral reaction the first time they had met. But Anakin was nothing if not persistent; he knew that Leia was going down a path parallel if not synonymous to the one he had traversed twenty years ago. If there was something he could do to help his daughter avoid his fate, Anakin would do it.

Yet now, looking upon his daughter's fiery eyes, Anakin couldn't help but feel thankful that he was already dead; if looks could kill, he would have been dead otherwise. _Perhaps I've made a mistake, _Anakin thought to himself, his eyes fixated on Leia's blue lightsaber. Fortunately for Anakin, he was saved from any further abuse, verbal or otherwise, when Luke rushed into the main hold, his own lightsaber in his hand.

"What's going on?" Luke asked. Noticing Anakin, Luke visibly relaxed and put his lightsaber away. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't visit," Luke told his father sternly. Before Anakin could respond however, Han ran into the main hold, blaster in hand.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, oblivious to Anakin's presence. Luke froze, unsure of how to explain this to Han. Fortunately for Luke, Leia answered instead.

"No, everything is not all right," she said icily, her gaze still fixated on Anakin. Squirming under his daughter's scrutiny, Anakin side stepped closer towards Luke.

Bewildered, Han looked to where Leia was glaring, blinking a few times as he confirmed that Leia was in fact staring at empty space.

"Leia, maybe now is not the best time to…" Luke tried to say, but was interrupted.

"I'm not the one who initiated this conversation," Leia said.

Clearing his throat, Han tried to force his way into the conversation. "Could someone tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"Han, not now," Leia told him tersely.

"_Don't push him away, Leia," _Anakin said, remembering why he came in the first place. Leia snarled at him.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do," she said darkly.

Stepping forward, Luke put himself between Leia and Anakin, unperturbed by the active lightsaber in Leia's hand. "I know you don't want to listen to him," Luke began diplomatically. "But he's right, Han deserves to know what's going on." Anakin nodded, grateful for his son's defense of him. Still glaring at Anakin over Luke's shoulder, Leia was silent for a few moments. Finally, she acquiesced, turning to look at Han.

"Han, meet my _father,_" she said, the last word dripping with sarcasm. "Darth Vader."

Han stared back at her blankly, his mouth slightly agape. Under normal circumstances, Luke might have found Han's expression amusing, but the fact that Leia was still brandishing her lightsaber menacingly dulled the humor considerably.

"You can't see him because you're not force sensitive," Luke explained. "He's standing right next to me." Anakin grinned and gave Han a wave, finding the situation bizarrely funny. Clearly not entertained by Anakin's antics, Leia gave him a withering look.

"Leia, how about you put your lightsaber away?" Luke asked cautiously.

"Fine," she said bitterly, extinguishing the blade and reattaching it to her belt.

Han continued to stare at the empty space where Vader supposedly was standing, thinking that perhaps if he focused hard enough he'd be able to see what the twins saw. "He's dead though," Han said, "How can he be here if he's dead?"

"He is, but apparently his ghost feels like hanging around," Leia replied. "But he's going to stay away from us from now on, isn't he?" she said pointedly, scowling at Anakin.

Feeling a combination of bewilderment and intimidation, Han began walking backwards towards the hallway. "I think I better go…" he said timidly.

"Han, don't go," Luke pleaded. "We still need to talk to you."

Stepping forward to stand next to his son, Anakin spoke. _"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come," _he said dejectedly. _"Leia, I only wished to give you some advice so that you avoid the mistakes that I made in my past." _

Leia's eyes widened in indignation. "Why would I ever make the same mistakes you made?"

Anakin smiled weakly at his daughter in spite of her undisguised contempt for him. _"Because you're just like me in so many ways," _he told her.

Taken aback momentarily by Anakin's assessment, a flash of fear crossed Leia's previously stony expression. Recovering quickly, Leia narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm nothing like you," she retorted in a low voice.

Anakin scrutinized Leia's face for a few moments, intrigued by her reaction. _I wish that were the case, _he thought to himself before fading away without bidding farewell.

"He's gone," Luke told Han, turning towards his friend. "Please join us, we have a lot to discuss."

"I'd say," Han mumbled, before crossing the room to sit down next to the technical station.

Noticing Leia's ashen expression, Luke stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. Not seeing Han 's bitter reaction to this gesture, Luke told his sister: "He told me he wouldn't show up unannounced. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Leia smiled faintly at Luke. "I'm not mad at you," she told him, much to Luke's relief. "I know you didn't have anything to do with it."

Returning her smile, Luke gestured to the hologram table. "Maybe we should sit down," he suggested. Agreeing, Leia walked over to the table and sat down. Sitting down himself, Luke looked over at Han, somewhat perturbed by the curious expression on his face.

"What did you want to talk about?" Han asked gruffly, slouching back in his chair with one arm behind his head.

"Well, we never actually got to tell you why we're going to Naboo in the first place," Luke replied.

"It's not got anything to do with Vader, does it?" Han asked, suddenly worried about what he had gotten himself into.

"No, no," Luke said quickly. "Well, not directly at least." Han raised an eyebrow, waiting for Luke to elaborate. "We just learned who our mother was," Luke began, glancing at Leia briefly. "So we wanted to go visit her home planet."

"She was from Naboo?"

Luke grinned. "Apparently, she was the queen for a while too," Luke told him gaily, brimming with pride for the mother he had never known.

Han raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You've got quite the pedigree, kid."

"It's pretty overwhelming, really," Luke replied. "But Leia's already royalty, so I guess it's not as big a deal for her." Leia gaped at her brother in indignation, but before she could rebuke him Luke continued. "Hey, if mother was a queen does that mean I'm royalty too?" he asked innocently.

"No," Leia told him quickly. "She was elected queen so you wouldn't be considered royalty."

"You just want to keep your fancy title to yourself, don't you?" Luke retorted playfully.

"That's not true!"

"Sure it is. You love being the Princess, don't deny it."

"Fine, you can be a princess too Luke. Does that make you happy?"

Han watched the twins bicker good-naturedly with a sullen expression. _I should be the one making her laugh _Han thought to himself, realizing that Luke was assuming the role which Han had previously played in Leia's life. _But she's the one who pushed me away _Han reminded himself, _this is all her fault, not mine. _

"Han, you OK?" Luke asked, startling Han.

"Huh? Oh yeah, fine," he said quickly before getting to his feet. "I need to uh… check on something in the cockpit," he lied, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden.

Frowning subtly, Luke said nothing, knowing that Han was just giving an excuse to leave the room. _What am I doing wrong? _Luke thought as he watched Han walk away briskly.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Luke passed the next couple of days by meditating and making light conversation with Han and Leia. While there was no conflict, there was an undeniable underlying tension for the duration of the journey. Han and Leia did everything they could to avoid one another and Luke was beginning to despair that they would ever mend their relationship.

Finally, the trip was reaching an end, and Luke had convinced Leia to join them in the cockpit when they left hyperspace. While she had initially been against the idea, her anticipation and curiosity ultimately prevailed over her desire to avoid Han. Strapped into the observer seat behind Luke's chair, Leia watched as Han prepared to exit hyperspace.

Meanwhile Han meticulously checked over the controls, more so to avoid having to make uncomfortable conversation than because he was actually doing something important. Determining that he couldn't procrastinate any further, Han grasped the lever in front of him. "Exiting hyperspace in 3…2…1…" The Millennium Falcon jerked forward as it reverted back to sublight speed.

"Leia, get over here," Luke told his sister eagerly. "You've got to see this."

Unbuckling herself, Leia stood up and walked over to stand behind Luke's chair. Naboo loomed largely in the window, taking up most of their view. Leia gasped as she took in the beautiful planet. "It's so beautiful," she said softly. "It's just like Alderaan."

Looking up at his sister, Luke gave her a reassuring smile. "Maybe it can become a home for you too," he said. Leia smiled back at him sadly, trying not to think about the memory of watching Alderaan get annihilated.

* * *

An hour later, the Millennium Falcon landed in the spaceport in Theed, the capital of Naboo. After some intense negotiations with a Toydarian, Leia managed to wrangle themselves a speeder. Rejoining Han and Luke by the Falcon, Leia gave a frustrated huff.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Nothing, that merchant was just really… persistent," she replied. "We don't have much money on hand, you know."

Luke nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Perhaps I can teach you some tricks about how to… convince people of things."

Han gave Luke a suspicious glance. "That doesn't sound like something a Jedi would do," he said doubtfully.

Luke shrugged, remembering when Obi-Wan had tricked the Stormtroopers to let them go back on Tatooine. "It's not, but sometimes we have to use alternate methods if we have no other choice." Han rolled his eyes, but made no rebuttal. "So, are we ready to go?" Luke asked.

"They're just prepping the speeder now," Leia replied. "Where is it we're going, Luke?"

"You'll see," he said with a smile, prompting Leia to give him an exasperated look.

"What is it with you and your secrets all of a sudden?" she asked.

Han snorted. "It's the Jedi way, is it not," he said moodily, changing the tone of the conversation abruptly. Neither Luke nor Leia knew what to say to that, knowing that Han was right to still be angry at them. Noticing the twins' discomfort, Han excused himself, claiming he had to check on the Falcon.

After Han was out of earshot, Leia looked over to Luke with a concerned expression.

"Don't worry," Luke reassured her unconvincingly. "He'll turn around eventually." Leia merely bit her lip and looked away, feeling certain that she had lost Han forever.

* * *

After their speeder had been delivered, Luke drove the trio off towards the Lake Country where Anakin had told him he and his wife had fallen in love. Fortunately, the ride was fairly peaceful as both Han and Leia were too enraptured by the planet's beautiful features to bother feeling awkward around each other. Eventually they arrived at a boat house along the beach of the lake. Stepping out of the speeder, Luke gestured for Han and Leia to join him.

"Come on," he said. "We need to rent a ferry to get across the lake."

"You're still not going to tell us where we're going?" Leia asked as she exited the speeder. Luke merely chuckled in response, enjoying himself immensely. Rolling her eyes, she looked at Han who remained in the speeder, his gaze fixated on the lake.

"You coming?" she asked tentatively.

Looking up slowly, Han shook his head. "I don't think renting a boat is a three-man operation," he replied. "Besides, I want to go check out the beach."

"Suit yourself," Leia said, firmly aware that this was the first normal conversation they had had in days. _Perhaps things will get better now that we're here, _she thought, hoping that the beauty of Naboo could help ease Han's temper. Rejoining Luke, the siblings walked into the boat house.

"Can I help you?" an elderly looking man asked when he saw the pair walk in.

"Yes," Leia replied, instinctively taking charge. "We'd like to rent a boat."

"What a surprise," the man replied sarcastically. Leia raised an eyebrow, annoyed by the man's glib attitude. "How long you gonna need it for?" the man asked in a bored voice, ignoring Leia's expression.

"A week," Luke answered. "Maybe two, we're not really sure."

"Whatever," the man said nonchalantly. "We got a lot of tourists this time a year, so rates are pretty high if you're willing to pay."

Leia gave Luke a nervous look. Neither Luke nor Han had much money, so Leia had been the one providing the funds for the majority of their expenditures over the past month. As a senator, Leia received a decent salary, but she had never really thought about money much because the Organa's had always provided her with whatever she needed. As a result, Leia wasn't exactly sure how long the money she did have access to was going to last.

"How much are we talking?" Luke asked, familiar with the art of negotiation from his days on Tatooine.

"300 credits a day."

"300!" Leia said shocked. "We could buy a boat with that amount of money!"

"It's the going rate, sorry miss," he replied, not sounding sorry at all. Smiling to himself, Luke gave Leia a wink. _Watch this _he mouthed to her.

"You will offer us a boat for 100 credits a day," Luke told the shop keeper with a wave of his hand. The man raised his eyebrows in confusion at the young man's strange negotiation tactic.

"Uh… no I won't," he replied definitively. "300 a day, take it or leave it."

Leia looked at Luke with a perplexed expression. Surprised that his mind trick had failed, Luke tried again, this time more forcefully. "You _will _offer us a boat for 100 credits a day," he repeated.

"Who do you think you are, some kind of Jedi?" the man retorted indignantly. Stunned, Luke scratched his head, thoroughly confused about why he had been rebuffed. Leia stifled a giggle, amused by her brother's embarrassment.

"Fine, we'll take the deal," Luke said bitterly, deciding to throw in the towel.

"Great, let me get the paperwork." As the shop keeper went into the back room, Leia turned to her brother, a smug grin on her face.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"I don't know," Luke answered honestly. "I've never had that happen to me before."

"He must be too interested in money to be fooled by your tricks," Leia reasoned.

"I guess," Luke replied. "But maybe we'll have to cut this trip short if it's too expensive, I feel guilty about asking you to sponsor us all the time."

"It's fine, Luke," Leia told him, amused by Luke's steadfast frugality. "We're here to learn about our mother, not save money."

Luke nodded. "You're right."

"I always am," she told him with a smile.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Once they had finally wrangled a boat from the greedy store keeper, the three made their way out on the lake towards Varykino. The gorgeous scenery seemed to have soothed Han's spirit as he was acting like his old self during the voyage, much to Luke and Leia's delight. But Luke was not fooled by Han's cheery attitude; he knew that his own presence helped ease the tension between Han and Leia, and that the moment he left them alone things would become icy between them once again.

"Are you ever going to tell us where we're going?" Leia asked once again, having to talk loudly over the sound of the engine.

Luke sighed good-naturedly, impressed by his sister's persistence. "Fine," he said, relenting. "It's called Varykino. All I know is that mother and father fell in love and were married here."

Leia's eyes widened, surprised that Vader could have ever been associated with such a beautiful place. "How do you know this?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

Luke looked away, his eyes focused on the water ahead. "You know how," he said simply. Leia understood, somewhat disappointed in Luke but unwilling to get into an argument about it. Somehow it felt sacrilegious to be angry at one another in such a beautiful place.

"Surely someone else must live there now?" Han asked practically.

Luke shrugged. "I hadn't thought about that, actually," he replied honestly. Han merely laughed and shook his head, unsurprised by Luke's singlemindedness. The three fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the sun descend beneath the horizon, painting the lake in a glorious orange and pink hue. Out of the corner of his eye, Han watched Leia as she grasped the railing of the ship, enraptured by the phenomenal sunset. Han held his breath as he marveled at how stunning Leia was. Snapping out of it, Han forced himself to look away.

"How far is this place anyway?" Han asked Luke who was watching him closely. Luke scrutinized Han's face briefly before answering.

"We should be there in a few minutes. I think we can even see it from here," he said, pointing out at the horizon. As the boat approached, the building in the distance grew in size.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Leia exclaimed as the grandiose estate came into view. Luke's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the marvelous palace before him, having never seen such a spectacular building before. Once they had reached the shore Han busied himself with tying up the ship to the dock with some rope while the twins exited, Luke still in a state of shock.

"Are you coming?" Leia asked Han.

Han nodded. "I'll be right behind you. You two go ahead."

"OK," she replied. "Let's go, Luke." The twins proceeded to make their way up the marble stairs leading to the estate.

"You know, I hadn't really thought about what we'd do when we got here," Luke said, suddenly concerned about trespassing. Leia was about to say something when Luke held out his arm. "Shh," he whispered. "Someone's coming." The two held their breath as they heard approaching footsteps. At the top of the stairs on the patio a young woman in a flowing dress appeared, a concerned expression on her face.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded, her arms crossed in front of her.

"I-I'm sorry," Luke stammered, unsure of how to explain himself.

"Pooja, what's going on?" another female voice asked. The defensive woman turned towards the voice.

"I don't know, mom. Some strangers are here," she said to the approaching middle-aged woman.

"We can explain ourselves," Leia said, stepping forward in front of Luke. The middle-aged woman looked at Leia closely, a curios expression on her face.

"Who are you?" she asked slowly, her eyes never leaving Leia.

"My name is Leia Organa," Leia replied, somewhat unnerved by the woman's intense scrutiny. "This is my brother Luke Skywalker." The woman's eyes widened slightly at Luke's name, turning her gaze to the young man.

"We apologize for showing up unannounced," Leia continued diplomatically. "We've only just learned that our late mother once lived here and we wanted to visit." The woman gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

"This can't be true," she muttered to herself, taking a step backwards.

"Mom, what's wrong?" her daughter asked, concerned.

"Pooja, go get your grandparents," she replied quietly.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Pooja, just do it." With a huff, Pooja left back into the house. Leia gave Luke a confused look as they watched this strange interaction.

Once they were alone, the woman approached them tentatively. "You're Padme's children?" she asked. Leia raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes," she told her. "How did you know?" Reaching out, the woman grasped Leia's hand with her own, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"You look just like her," she told Leia in a whisper who blushed at the comment.

"How did you know our mother?" Luke asked curiously. The woman looked up towards Luke with a weak smile. Before she could answer, Pooja returned with an elderly man and woman in tow.

"Sola, what's going on?" the aged woman asked. Sola stepped aside to reveal Luke and Leia standing on the steps.

"Mom, Dad," Sola addressed her parents. "Meet you grandchildren, Luke and Leia." The twins collectively gasped as they realized what was happening. Neither had ever considered that even though their parents were both dead that they could still have an extended family, yet here they were.

"What are you talking about Sola?" their grandfather asked, bewildered.

Recovering from her initial shock, Leia took a step onto the patio. As she did so, her face became more visible in the fading light. Taking in Leia's face, the elderly couple's eyes widened in shock. Beckoning Luke to step forward, Leia addressed her grandparents confidently. "Senator Amidala was our mother," she informed them, still accustomed to referring to her mother by her official title.

Grasping her husband's arm, the elderly woman stared back at Leia. "That's impossible," she insisted. "Padme was pregnant when…" she tapered off, the immobilizing pain of loss reemerging forcefully.

"We buried her with the child," her husband said for her, tears emerging in his eyes. Leia looked away, the pained expressions on her grandparents' faces overwhelming her with emotion.

"Anakin is your father, wasn't he?" Sola asked suddenly.

Luke looked at her curiously. "You knew our father?"

"We met once a long time ago when he was serving as Padme's bodyguard." Sola smiled as she remembered the charming young man. "Padme denied that they had feelings for each other at the time, but it was clear as day how much Anakin cared for her."

Luke looked over at Leia, curious to see her reaction, but her face was unreadable.

"I assume he died in the purges?" Sola asked sympathetically. Leia stiffened, remembering that nobody knew that Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader.

"In a sense," Luke answered after a while. Ignoring Sola's perplexed expression, Luke addressed his grandparents. "We know hardly anything about our mother, but we know it was her. I understand why you might doubt us, but I assure you both that we are telling the truth"

His grandfather stared back at Luke for a long while, taking in every aspect of Luke's face. "Why don't we go inside," he said finally, clearly still suspicious about these two strangers. "We have much to discuss."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After he finished tying up the boat, Han made his way up the steps where he was met by a fair young woman. "Are you Han?" she asked him as he approached.

"Yeah," he replied, instantly on guard. "How do you know who I am?"

"Your friends asked me to wait for you," she said simply. "Follow me."

Confused, Han followed the young woman into the house. She led him down a hallway to a circular room with high arching ceilings. In the center of the room there was an oval table. Luke and Leia were seated on one end facing an elderly couple and a middle-aged woman.

"Welcome to Varykino," the middle-aged woman said to Han when he entered the room. "My name is Sola and these are my parents Ruwee and Jobal. This young woman is my daughter Pooja. My other daughter Ryoo is away with her father on a business trip"

"Charmed," Han responded, giving Luke and Leia a look as if to ask _what's going on?_

"Han, this is our mother's family," Luke explained. "Please join us," he added, gesturing to the open seat next to him. Obliging, Han sat down, intimidated by the suspicious looks he was receiving from the opposite side of the table.

"How come you took so long to find us?" Ruwee asked accusatively.

"Luke and I didn't know about either of our parents until very recently," Leia replied. "In fact, we didn't even know we were related when we first met."

"How is that possible? Why were you two separated?" Sola asked.

"To protect us from the Emperor," Luke answered.

"Why would you need to be protected from the Emperor?"

Luke hesitated briefly. "Our father was a very powerful Jedi," he said. "When the Jedi were destroyed, those who survived thought it best that we be hidden from the Emperor since we presented a great threat to him."

"What made you such a threat to the Emperor?" Jobal asked in a less derisive tone than her husband.

"Leia and I are both powerful Force sensitives," he replied. "I assume the Jedi were afraid that we could have been used by the Emperor."

Ruwee scratched his chin pensively as he scrutinized Luke. The young man was giving no indication that he was lying, but his story still seems suspicious. "Why is it that you think Padme is your mother?" he asked after a few moments of tense silence.

"We don't think it, we know it," Leia said defensively.

"Our father told us," Luke answered. "From beyond the grave."

Ruwee sat back in his seat, shaking his head. "You can't be serious," he said incredulously. "You expect us to believe that?"

Luke shrugged. "It's the truth," he said simply.

"No," Ruwee said, standing up from his chair. "I want to know why you're really here. What do you want? Money? Is that it? You thought you could con us into believing that you are our daughter's long-lost children? Well I'm not buying it."

"Ruwee, sit down!" Jobal told him severely. "They look just like their parents, can't you see that?"

"You're lying to yourself, Jobal!" he replied. "You're so desperate to bring Padme back that you'll do anything to believe that these two scam artists are her children!"

"Dad, please," Sola pleaded. "Just hear them out." Ruwee grumbled something unintelligible, but eventually sat back down.

"Sir, If I may say something," Han said, injecting himself into the conversation. "I've known Luke and Leia for a long time now, and I can assure you that they are two of the most exceptional people I have ever met." Luke gave Han a smile, touched by his friend's glowing endorsement. "I guess that isn't saying much considering the people I've met in my life, but it is something," he added.

"I understand why you are suspicious of us, sir," Leia said. "But we truly have no ulterior motive. We didn't even know that our mother had a family."

"We believe you, Leia," Sola said, speaking on behalf of herself and her mother. Leia gave her aunt a smile, grateful for her support.

"How did you find each other after being separated?" Jobal asked.

"Well that's a long story," Luke said with a smile. "But the short of it was that Han and I rescued Leia when she was imprisoned on the Death Star."

Jobal gasped. "Why were you imprisoned?" she asked.

"I was a leading figure in the Rebel Alliance," Leia explained. "The empire captured and tortured me in order to find out where the Rebel Base was. They were going to execute me when I didn't tell them anything."

"That's horrible!" Sola exclaimed aghast. Leia looked down at the table, feeling conflicted about not telling them the truth about Vader. She certainly felt no qualms about revealing what Vader had done to her, but she didn't want to ruin her mother's family's opinion about Anakin. Knowing the truth about what he became would be too much for them.

"Leia and I were close friends for three years after that without knowing we were related," Luke said. "Although we always felt connected to each other for a reason neither of us could explain."

Sola shook her head in awe. "It's so horrible that the Jedi did that to you." Luke frowned, uncomfortable with criticizing the Jedi yet also unable to deny that Sola was at least partially correct.

"Why don't you stay with us for the night at least," Jobal offered after a brief silence, ignoring her husband's scowl of disapproval.

"We'd love to if it's not too much trouble," Luke answered for the group.

"None at all," Jobal insisted with a smile. "It's not every day that you meet grandchildren you didn't know you had." Luke returned the smile, charmed by his grandmother.

"Pooja, could you show our guests to some rooms?" Sola asked her daughter. "Afterward perhaps you could accompany us for dinner? I'm sure you have a lot of questions as well."

"We'd be delighted to," Leia said. Giving Sola one last smile, Leia stood up with her companions to follow her newfound cousin to their quarters.

"Come with me," Pooja said coldly, still suspicious about their true identities. "We have plenty of rooms for you to choose from," she informed them. "We used to have a lot more guests come up here, but ever since Aunt Padme died we haven't been coming here that often.

"This isn't your main home?" Han asked incredulously.

"No, it's a summer retreat that our family has owned for decades." Han and Luke both shook their heads, boggled by the wealth of the Naberries.

"Did you know our mother?" Leia asked Pooja suddenly. The young woman stopped walking and turned around to face the trio, her demeanor still cold and distant.

"Yes," she replied curtly. "I was six when she died."

"What was she like?" Luke asked earnestly.

Glancing at Luke, Pooja hesitated before answering. "Perhaps we should discuss this over dinner," she said flatly. Dejected by Pooja's evident distrust for them, Luke merely nodded. Surprised by Luke's clear disappointment, Pooja faltered. "I'm sorry for not being as forthcoming as you might have wished," she said in a warmer voice. "You must understand why I'm hesitant to believe you."

"We understand," Leia told her. "We recognize that this is all very sudden." Pooja smiled faintly at Leia, unable to not like her despite her reservations.

"Come on, let me show you your rooms," she said. Nodding, Leia followed after her thawing cousin.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After having retrieved their luggage from the boat the three each retired to their respective rooms in order to clean up and get changed for dinner. After having showered and shaved, Han knocked on Luke's door.

"Come in," Luke called. Pushing the door open, Han saw that Luke had changed into his typical black Jedi robes and was combing his hair in front of a mirror. Sitting down in a plush armchair in the corner of the room, Han watched Luke with a lazy grin on his face.

"What's so funny?" Luke asked after seeing Han's reflection in the mirror.

"I've never seen you comb your hair before," he said. "Are these rich people rubbing off on you?"

Luke rolled his eyes at the accusation. "It's the least I can do," he replied. "Besides, I want to make a good impression on them, surely you can understand that."

Han shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "I don't think I've ever combed my hair," Han said.

"Well aren't you special?" Luke retorted sarcastically. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Luke, can I come in?" they heard Leia ask from the hallway.

"Sure," Luke replied, putting the comb down. When Leia entered the room, both Han and Luke caught their breath at the site of her. Leia was wearing a simple silken white dress much like the one she had worn in the Throne Room after the first Death Star had been destroyed. Her hair was done up in a complicated bun, a single braid cascaded down her back elegantly.

"Luke, could you…" noticing Han sitting in the corner, Leia faltered.

"Do what?" Luke asked, recovering quickly from his momentary paralysis.

"Um," she mumbled, suddenly awkward in Han's presence. "Could you zip up my dress?" she asked. Han stiffened visibly at Leia's request, the hand that was resting on the armrest clenching into a fist. Noticing Han's visceral reaction, Luke hesitated.

"Han can do it, right?" he asked her. Surprised, Leia paused for a few moments.

"Of course," she said after a while, realizing Luke's motive. "If you're willing," she added quickly to Han.

His eyes darting back and forth between Luke and Leia, Han was confused by this interaction. "Sure," he said gruffly, standing up to help Leia. Luke smiled to himself subtly as he went back to combing his hair.

* * *

"Oh, you look lovely dear!" Jobal exclaimed when Leia entered the dining room with Luke and Han behind her. "You look just like your mother in that dress."

"Thank you," Leia replied warmly, realizing how happy she was to learn that she looked like her mother.

"You know, we still have a lot of her dresses back home," Jobal told Leia. "I'm sure she would have loved for you to have them."

"I'd love to see them," Leia responded politely. Perhaps she would have been excited at the prospect of seeing her mother's wardrobe a few years ago, but nowadays she doubted she could fully enjoy such frivolities.

"Luke, Han, you two look very handsome as well," Jobal told the young men flanking Leia.

"Thank you, ma'am," Han said with a bow of his head.

"Please join us," Jobal said graciously. Sitting down, Leia looked across the table and met Ruwee's unrelenting gaze. Determined not to be intimidated, Leia stared back at him confidently, attempting to convey that she was being nothing but truthful with him.

"So," Ruwee began as they were being served by a pair of serving droids. "Tell us about yourselves. Where are you from? How do you make a living?"

"Ruwee, we're not interrogating them," Jobal told her husband.

"No, it's all right," Leia said, raising a hand. "It's a fair question." Luke nodded his agreement. "I was raised on Alderaan as the daughter of Bail and Breha Organa. My mother… I mean Breha was the Queen of Alderaan and Bail represented Alderaan in the Galactic Senate. I represented Alderaan in the Senate after he retired, until…"

"Oh dear…" Jobal said when she remembered what happened to Alderaan. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Leia."

Leia's voice caught in her throat as she remembered her adoptive parents. "Thank you," she whispered, willing herself to stay strong. Recognizing Leia's emotions, Luke stepped in.

"I was raised on Tatooine by a couple of moisture farmers," Luke said, trying to lighten the mood. "So clearly Leia got the better end of the deal." Leia laughed, in part because it gave her an excuse to stop thinking about the Organas.

"And what about you, Han?" Sola asked the twins' mysterious companion. "Where do you come from?"

"I was born on Corellia," he answered. "I never really knew my parents, truth be told. I worked for the criminal organizations on Corellia for a while before I was able to escape and get enlisted into the Imperial Academy where I became a pilot."

"You served the Empire?" Ruwee asked suspiciously.

"Technically," Han said truthfully. "But I left when I got the chance to earn some money with some smugglers. I was a smuggler for about a decade, and I'd probably still be one if it wasn't for this kid," he said gesturing at Luke.

Luke laughed, remembering meeting Han for the first time in the Mos Eisley Cantina. "You know that's right," he said. "Although Leia's got as much to do with that as I do."

"I take it you two were also a part of the Rebellion?" Ruwee asked.

"Oh yeah," Han replied. "I even was a general. I still don't know how that happened to be honest." Everyone at the table except Ruwee laughed at that. "But Luke here was the true hero of the Rebellion."

"Don't sell yourself short, Han," Luke told his friend.

"Your humility gets on my nerves, kid," Han retorted good-naturedly.

"Why? What did you do, Luke?" Sola asked curiously.

"He destroyed the blasted Death Star, that's what he did," Han interjected knowing that Luke wouldn't do justice to himself.

"You did that!" Pooja exclaimed in shock.

Luke merely nodded, embarrassed by all the attention.

"That's remarkable," Sola said. "Padme would have been so proud of both of you. A senator and a war hero." A melancholy silence filled the room, disturbed only by the clinking of silverware.

"Would you tell us about her?" Leia asked after a minute had passed. "Luke and I know hardly anything about her."

"We would love to," Jobal replied. "What do you want to know?"

Leia glanced at Luke, not sure where to begin. "I don't know really…" Leia said honestly, "we just want to know what she was like, I guess."

Jobal and Ruwee gave each other a sad look, similarly conflicted about where to begin. Noticing her parents' predicament, Sola decided to take charge. "Padme was many things," she began. "Intelligent, beautiful, persistent. But what was most remarkable about her was her heart. She always had a way in finding the good in people, even if they themselves didn't see it."

Reaching under the table, Leia put her hand on top of Luke's. "She sounds just like you," she told him in a whisper. Luke smiled, remembering what his father had told him. _In that way you remind me so much of her, Luke, _Anakin had told him. _You may look like me on the outside, but on the inside you have her heart._

"But she was a politician just like you, Leia," Luke reminded her.

"Padme always had a proclivity to politics," Ruwee said. "She was elected Queen of Naboo when she was just fourteen years old."

"That's truly unbelievable," Luke marveled. "Why did they elect someone so young?"

Ruwee shrugged. "It's the political culture here to elect young women to the office,"

"She was just a child though," Luke retorted.

"In some ways, yes," Jobal admitted. "But Padme was remarkably mature even as a young girl."

"I was a senator when I was eighteen," Leia reminded her brother. "In many ways, young people are actually more capable politicians than adults. They haven't yet been corrupted by cynicism," she said, giving Ruwee a pointed look.

Ruwee tilted his head curiously at Leia, scrutinizing her closely. "Padme used to be like you," he said eventually. "She was very adept at using passive aggressive comments like that one to criticize me." A tense silence ensued as everyone watched Leia and Ruwee stared at each other intensely. "Perhaps… perhaps I deserve some criticism every now and then."

The room erupted in laughter, not so much because of what Ruwee had said but out of relief that they had avoided a potentially cataclysmic conflict. A massive smile illuminated Leia's face. "Perhaps you do," she agreed. "Grandfather."

* * *

After dinner, everyone bid each other goodnight and retired to their respective rooms. Unable to sleep due to the whirlwind of emotions she had experienced that day, Leia went out onto the patio instead. Leaning against the railing, Leia took in a deep breath of the refreshing lakeside air. She gazed out at the tranquil lake which was illuminated majestically by the moonlight.

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?" _a familiar voice said from somewhere behind her, startling Leia immensely. Spinning around, she came face to face with her father's force ghost who was watching her with a twinkle in his eye.

"You can't take a hint, can you?" she told him bitterly.

"_No, not really," _Vader said with a shrug. _"I'm too persistent for my own good, just like you." _

"I'm nothing like you," she retorted quickly.

"_That is your greatest fear," _Vader said taking a step forward. _"To become like me, is it not?" _Leia said nothing, glaring back at her father menacingly. _"You are right to fear it, Leia. There are few fates worse than mine."_

"I'm not going to pity you, if that's what you want," Leia snapped at him.

"_Quite the opposite," _he replied. _"I want you to learn from my mistakes so that you can avoid my fate." _Anakin paused for a moment, anticipating a retort from Leia but not receiving one. _"Darkness surrounds you, my daughter." _

Leia winced at that. "Don't call me that."

Ignoring Leia's comment, Vader continued. _"Your brother thinks he can help you control it, but he is mistaken." _

"Luke is a far wiser man than you've ever been," Leia said.

"_Very true," _Vader agreed, _"But he doesn't understand the Dark Side like I do. He doesn't appreciate how powerful and how dangerous you could become." _

Leia took a step back until her back was against the railing, perturbed by the tone in Vader's voice. "I don't want power," she said nervously.

"_That's not entirely true," _Vader told her. _"One doesn't become a politician if they don't crave power." _

"That's different!" Leia said defensively.

"_Perhaps, but it only makes you more vulnerable to the Darkness," _Vader told her. _"Luke was able to fend off the Darkness because he had no ambitions other than to save me. You, Leia, are not as single-minded as your brother." _

Leia had no response, knowing deep down that what Vader was saying was true. She was not as pure and naïve as Luke was.

"_I want you to hate me," _Vader told her much to Leia's surprise. _"I want you to hate the choices I made because only then will you learn how to save yourself." _Before she knew what she was doing, Leia nodded her head. Anakin stretched out his ghostly hand to Leia. _"Let me show you how I failed." _

After hesitating for a brief moment, Leia reached out to grab Vader's hand.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The moment her hand came into contact with Vader's it suddenly became daytime again and Vader's force ghost had disappeared. Squinting as she adjusted to the light, Leia made out a man and a woman facing one another on the patio with a third figure standing in front of them. With a start, Leia realized what was happening: she was witnessing her parents' wedding. She had unwittingly been standing on the very spot where they had been married over twenty years ago. _But why are they all alone? _she thought to herself. _Where are the guests?_

As the holy man finished his speech, a younger looking Vader reached over and took his partner's hands into his. Leia couldn't help but notice that Vader's right arm was mechanical, just like Luke's. Reverting her attention to Padme, Leia's heart fluttered as she saw how beautiful her mother looked in her wedding dress, the fading sunlight casting an ethereal glow around her angelic face.

As the newlyweds kissed, Leia looked away, feeling uncomfortable witnessing the tender moment. As she did so, her surroundings changed. She was no longer on the patio, but standing in the shadow of a large marble column. Looking to her right she saw a petite figure standing by the column next to her. The sound of approaching voices caused Leia to look away where she saw a long procession of politicians approaching. As the group passed by, Leia gasped as she saw Vader talking to her father, Bail Organa. _This is so surreal _she thought to herself as she watched her two fathers, the one who raised her and the one who sired her, converse.

"Excuse me," Vader said, holding up his mechanical hand.

"Certainly," Bail replied. Vader turned casually and when the procession was far enough away, he took off at a run towards the shadowy figure. Reaching her, Vader lifted her in the air in a loving embrace. As he spun around, Leia made out her mother's face which was lit up with joy at seeing her husband. Putting her down, Padme put her hands around Vader's face and gave him a kiss.

"Oh, Anakin," she said with a sigh.

"I've missed you, Padme," Vader relied tenderly, hugging her closely once again.

"There were whispers," she said after leaving the embrace, "that you'd been killed."

"I'm all right," Vader told her with a smile. "It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime. And it might've been if the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped, I don't think they would have ever brought us back from the Outer Rim sieges." Vader leaned in to kiss Padme once more, but she pulled back.

"Wait, not here…" she said hurriedly.

"Yes, here," Vader responded. "I'm tired of all this deception, I don't care if they know that we're married."

"Anakin, don't say things like that," Padme told him seriously. Acquiescing, Vader merely hugged her again in response.

"Are you all right?" he asked suddenly, putting his hands on Padme's arms. "You're trembling. What's going on?"

"Something wonderful has happened," she said softly. "Ani, I'm pregnant." Vader looked back at her stunned for a few moments as Padme watched nervously for his reaction.

"That's… that's wonderful," he stuttered, before smiling broadly.

"What are we going to do?"

Vader shook his head and continued to smile. "We're not going to worry about it right now, alright? This is a happy moment," he said, putting a hand on Padme's cheek, "the happiest moment of my life." As he leaned down to kiss her, Leia's surroundings faded away into darkness.

As her eyes began to readjust to the darkness, the shirtless figure of Vader jolted upright in front of her. He was sweating and breathing heavily. Looking over, he saw his wife was still fast asleep next to him. Pushing the blanket off him, he sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. Sitting up, he reached for a cloak and walked out of the room quietly. Leia walked after him, eventually reaching a patio which overlooked a massive city. _I must be on Coruscant _Leia noted to herself.

She found Vader sitting on the edge of a couch watching the traffic stoically. Leia spun around when she heard footsteps approaching to see her mother wearing an ornate silken nightdress approach.

"What's bothering you?" she asked when she reached Vader, placing a hand on his shoulder. Vader took a breath and looked at Padme with a strained smile.

"Nothing," he said unconvincingly. Looking down, Vader reached out and grasped a woodcarving that Padme wore around her neck. "I remember when I gave this to you," he said trying to change the conversation.

Padme tilted her head disapprovingly at her husband. "How long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?" she asked him.

Vader looked away, his expression somber. "It was a dream," he said.

"Bad?" Padme asked.

"Like the ones I used to have about my mother," he replied. "Just before she died."

"And?"

Vader looked back at Padme. "And it was about you," he told her.

"Tell me," she asked, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.

"It was only a dream," he said, standing up and walking away. After a few moments, he turned back around to face Padme. "You die in childbirth," he told her solemnly.

"And the baby?"

Vader shook his head. "I don't know."

"It was only a dream," Padme insisted, walking up towards Vader.

"I won't let this one become real," Vader replied forcefully.

"This baby will change our lives. I doubt the Queen will allow me to continue to serve in the Senate, and if the Council learns that you're the father you'll be expelled…"

"I know," Vader interrupted, holding up his mechanical hand. "I know."

"Do you think Obi-Wan might be able to help us?"

Vader looked down for a moment. "I don't need his help," he said darkly. "Our baby is a blessing." As the two hugged, the lights from the city began to glow in intensity until they were blinding Leia and drowning out the scene in front of her. Putting her hand up to shield her eyes, she felt a sudden intense heat. Opening her eyes, Leia found herself on a platform overlooking a fiery planet. To her right, she saw Vader in dark robes running towards the platform. Confused about what was going on, Leia looked around and saw a set of stairs descend from the belly of a sleek silver ship. Leia saw her mother emerge from the ship, her pregnancy more pronounced than she had been when Leia had last seen her. Descending the steps, Padme ran to greet Vader at the middle of the platform.

"I saw your ship," Vader told her. "What are you doing out here?" 

"I was so worried about you," she replied, somewhat out of breath. "Obi-Wan told me terrible things."

"What things?" Vader asked sternly.

"He said you've turned to the Dark Side, that you… killed younglings."

Vader looked down with a stony expression. "Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me," he said in a low voice.

"He cares about us."

"Us?"

"He knows," Padme told him. "He wants to help you." Vader said nothing, still looking down. "Anakin, all I want is your love."

"Love won't save you, Padme," Vader retorted. "Only my new powers can do that."

"At what cost?" Padme asked. "You're a good person, don't do this!"

"I won't lose you like I lost my mother. I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of, and I'm doing it for you. To protect you."

"Come away with me," Padme said, running her hands through Vader's hair. "Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can."

"Don't you see?" Vader replied. "We don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor, I-I can overthrow him." Padme took a step away from Vader, terrified by what he was saying. "And together you and I can rule the galaxy, make things the way we want them to be."

Padme shook her head. "I don't believe what I'm hearing. Obi-Wan was right. You've changed." 

"I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan," he said. "The Jedi turned against me, don't you turn against me," he added ominously.

"I don't know you anymore," Padme replied, struggling not to cry. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow."

Vader looked at her with a neutral expression. "Because of Obi-Wan?" he asked.

"Because of what you've done. Because of what you plan to do." Vader looked away from Padme, his gaze fixated on something in the distance. "Stop! Stop now, come back. I love you!"

Vader stepped away from her. "Liar!" he shouted with a savage expression. Padme turned around to see Obi-Wan standing at the top of the stairs.

"No!" Padme insisted, stepping backwards.

"You're with him!" he cried. "You brought him here to kill me."

Padme shook her head fiercely. "No," she tried to say again, but Vader stopped her by raising his hand. Padme grabbed at her neck in shock, unable to breathe. Leia grimaced as she recognized the same expression of panic and fear on her mother's face as Han had had when she had strangled him.

"Let her go Anakin!" Leia heard Obi-Wan call out from the ship.

"Anakin!" Padme whispered, struggling to speak.

"Let. Her. Go."

Trembling with rage, Vader released her, causing Padme to collapse to the ground, unconscious. Leia tried to run out towards her mother, but she was unable to move. Obi-Wan and Vader watched Padme fall, each shocked at what had transpired.

"You turned her against me!" Vader bellowed at Obi-Wan.

"You have done that yourself," he replied evenly.

Pacing around Padme predatorily, Vader took off his cloak. "You will not take her away from me!"

"You're anger and lust for power have already done that," Obi-Wan said. As the two men began circling one another, the vision began to fade once more, enveloping Leia in darkness. After a few moments, she regained her senses and found herself back on the patio at Varykino. Vader's force ghost was watching her with a somber expression. An unbelievable rage coursed through Leia at the sight of him.

'You're a monster!" she spat at him vehemently. Vader merely nodded his head in affirmation, his eyes dark and full of pain.

"I am," he said softly. "I am."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Leia stared back at Vader for a few moments as she processed the events she had just witnessed. "You killed her," she whispered, her voice trembling with fury.

"I might as well have," Vader replied.

"Might as well have?" Leia scoffed. "I saw you! You strangled her to death!"

"I did," Vader confirmed. "And for the rest of my life I thought that I had killed her then and there. But she didn't die there Leia. You and Luke are living proof of that."

Leia paused, realizing that Vader was right. "It doesn't matter," she said. "You would have killed her if Obi-Wan hadn't intervened." Vader said nothing, making no effort to defend himself. For some reason, this infuriated Leia even further.

"You said you loved her!" Leia yelled at him, her anger boiling over. "You… you…" Leia stammered, unable to speak due to her rage. Her vision darkened as she recalled watching her mother gasp for breath.

"I always hated you, but I never knew you could be this evil," she said darkly. Leia heard a loud cracking sound from somewhere underneath her, but she payed it no heed as she grabbed her lightsaber. "You deserve to suffer for what you've done!" A billowing gale seemed to surround her as she approached Vader, drowning out all sound or rationality. Lighting her saber, Leia swung at Vader blindly with a yell. "I hate you!" she cried as Vader quickly stepped away from her, avoiding the blow.

"Leia, stop!" she heard someone call out from far away. Ignoring the voice, Leia continued to swing savagely at Vader, who had backed up against the railing. With a heave, she sliced downward at Vader's ghost, the blade passing right through him and into the marble railing. Unaware or simply unwilling to acknowledge that her blade had no effect on Vader, she swung again, but this time was blocked by a green lightsaber. Looking to her right, Leia saw Luke, wearing nothing but his sleeping pants, holding his lightsaber with two hands.

"Stop this now," he demanded seriously, pushing Leia back until he was standing in front of Vader.

"Step aside, Luke," she told him, unfazed by Luke's superior strength. "You don't know what this man has done."

"I do," Luke replied calmly. "I saw it too. In a dream."

"So you know he doesn't deserve your devotion," she snarled back. "He's a monster."

"Leia, you need to calm down. You can't hurt him, anyway."

"Step aside," she repeated menacingly.

"I will not."

Frustrated by Luke's obstinacy, Leia pushed Luke back using her lightsaber which was still pressed against Luke's, causing him to fall to the ground. Luke looked up with a shocked expression as he saw Leia raise her lightsaber threateningly. Acting out of defense, Luke pushed her back with the Force, propelling Leia backwards into the house where she crumpled into a heap on the ground. Standing up, Luke watched as Leia rubbed the back of her head.

Leia looked up at Luke with a dark expression. With unnatural speed, she propelled herself to her feet and flung herself at her unsuspecting brother. His heightened Jedi reflexes saved him as he blocked Leia's vicious blow.

"_Stop this at once!" _Vader bellowed from behind Luke. The twins ignored him, however, and began to duel fiercely. While Luke was more experienced, Leia's skills seemed to be elevated by her fury. Pushing Luke back with a rapid series of deafening overhead blows, Luke fell over and dropped his lightsaber which fell off the patio into the darkness.

"I warned you," Leia told Luke severely.

"_And you say you're nothing like me." _

Leia hesitated, looking to her left to see Vader's ghost glaring at her. Looking back down at Luke she saw raw terror in her brother's eyes as he trembled in fear. Leia felt her anger seep away at the pitiful sight in front of her. Extinguishing her weapon, Leia closed her eyes. "I wasn't going to kill him," she said, as much a reassurance to herself as it was to Vader.

"_Does that matter?" _Luke stood up cautiously, his eyes never leaving Leia's now deactivated lightsaber. _"I wanted you to hate me," _Vader continued in a steely voice, _"so that you wouldn't become me." _

"I-I'm not going to become you," Leia insisted.

"_Oh really? You strangled the one you love and just nearly killed your brother." _Leia gulped as she realized how hypocritical she was being. _"The darkness is powerful within you," _Vader told her passionately. _"Don't let it consume you like it did me." _

Leia felt hot tears emerge in her eyes as a powerful wave of remorse crashed over her. Dropping her lightsaber, Leia began to sob uncontrollably. "I'm not like you, I'm not. I won't be," she blubbered. Leia felt comforting arms pull her close as she continued to cry. "I'm not like him, I'm not like him," she repeated to Luke who held her with a somber expression on his face.

"_Then prove it," _she heard Vader reply sharply. _"Defeat the darkness or suffer my fate." _

Leia continued to sob into Luke's chest for a few minutes. "I'm so sorry," she told Luke over and over. "I'm so, so sorry." Luke held his sister with his chin rested on top of her head, his own eyes wet with tears. He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching.

"What's happening, what's going on?" he heard Ruwee call out from the hallway.

"Leia, are you alright?" Han's voice asked. Han and Ruwee's figures emerged in the doorway, the sound of more footsteps indicating that more people were behind them. "Oh no," Han said when he saw the carnage in front of him. A massive crack ran along the middle of the patio, originating from where Leia had once been standing. A large chunk of the marble railing was also gone, sliced through by Leia's lightsaber.

"Ruwee, what's happening?" Jobal asked from the hallway. Han and Ruwee looked up at Luke with shocked expressions on their faces as they saw Leia sobbing in her brother's arms.

"Please go," Luke whispered to the two bewildered men. "We will be with you shortly." Nodding, Han placed a hand on Ruwee's shoulder.

"Come on," he told the elder man. "Give them some space." Perplexed and deeply concerned, Ruwee nevertheless obliged and followed Han back into the house.

After a few more moments, Leia regained her composure and ceased crying. Sniffling, she stepped away from Luke. "Sorry about that," she whispered sheepishly as she watched Luke try to wipe away the tears and snot on his bare abdomen. Luke said nothing and gave her a sad look.

After a long while, Luke finally spoke. "Come on," he said hoarsely, clearly unsure about how to deal with the situation. Following Luke, they made their way down the hallway into the house where they found Ruwee, Jobal, Sola, and Han all waiting for them in the living room with concerned expressions on their faces. Sitting down in a large armchair, Leia suddenly felt very small as she looked down to avoid everyone's gaze.

"Luke, put this on," she heard Jobal say as she handed him a cloak.

"Thanks," Luke muttered, wrapping the cloak around his bare shoulders. As he sat down, everyone looked back and forth between Luke and Leia, evidently waiting for one of them to speak. "Sorry about the patio," Luke said finally in a small voice.

"It's no matter," Ruwee replied awkwardly. After a long pause, Luke spoke again.

"We haven't been fully truthful with you all," he said finally, causing Ruwee to stiffen.

"You're not Padme's children, are you?" he asked sternly.

"No, no, it's not about that," Luke said dismissively. "We are, by the way," he added for clarification. Ruwee nodded, once again feeling silly for his cynicism. "No, we haven't been truthful about our father."

"Luke, no!" Leia said suddenly, raising her head.

"They deserve to know, Leia," Luke replied evenly.

"Please don't, it'll ruin everything!" she pleaded.

"You have already done that yourself," he retorted sternly, shocking Han who had never seen Luke raise his voice at his sister. Leia shook her head but said nothing, her bottom lip trembling.

"What is this about? Is Anakin not your father?" Sola asked Luke.

"He is," Luke replied. "But he also went by another name. After our mother died." The room was silent in anticipation. Luke gave one last glance at Leia, who was now looking steadfastly at her lap in shame. "Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader."

"What!?" Sola exclaimed. "What do you mean? I thought Anakin died in the Purges."

"He did not," Luke said. "He turned to the Dark Side because he feared losing our mother in childbirth."

"That's not true –" Leia tried to say, but Luke cut her off.

"You will let me explain!" he told her sharply. Receiving no retort from Leia, Luke continued. "Leia and I just learned this from our father. He showed us what happened twenty years ago." Luke paused for a moment as everyone waited in silence, waiting for him to continue. "He thought that she had betrayed him," he said softly. "He was so angry that he… he choked her."

Sola and Pooja gasped while Ruwee grabbed the arm rest on his chair forcefully. "He killed her?" Ruwee asked angrily. "He killed my daughter?"

Luke shook his head somberly. "She was still pregnant at the time, but he must have thought that he did." Ruwee shook his head angrily, too stunned to speak.

"Leia didn't take the news well," Luke continued. "She attacked me when I defended him."

Leia began to quiver again as she felt tears reemerging in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she repeated for the umpteenth time. Quickly standing up, Han crossed the room and sat down on the arm rest of Leia's chair. Wrapping his arm around her back, Han comforted her as she cried softly once again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

They watched Leia cry for a few minutes before Luke had asked the Naberries politely if they could go back to bed and give Leia some privacy. While they were very concerned for Leia's wellbeing, they knew they couldn't do anything to help her so they agreed. Han had gently scooched Leia over so that he could sit next to her on the large armchair, his arm still around her trembling shoulders. It had taken some convincing, but Han had finally got Luke to go back to bed as well.

"I've got this, really," he assured a concerned and dejected Luke. "Go back to bed, Luke." While Luke was antsy about leaving Han alone with Leia when she was in such a fragile and possibly volatile state, he was thoroughly exhausted and finally acquiesced. Leia continued to cry softly for a few more minutes, her legs tucked up beside her while she rested her head on Han's chest. After a while, she seemed to have fallen asleep, trapping Han with her on the chair.

Han watched her sleep peacefully for a few moments as he marveled about the whirlwind of a week he was having. Leia was a beautiful package of contradictions, Han thought. On the one hand she was brave, competent, and determined. But on the other she could be incredibly fragile and volatile. Moreover, in one instance she could tell Han that she loved him and then in the next she could dismiss him with the wave of a hand, throwing him across the room like he was nothing to her. He wanted desperately to forgive her, to love her freely again, but he couldn't forget that moment of pure terror that she had inflicted on him so casually. And yet here he was, gently caressing her back as she slept cradled under his arm.

As he gently brushed away some of the stray tears from her pearly cheek, Han realized with a start that he had never felt this way about a person before in his life. He had thought he had loved Qi'ra at the time, but he realized now that it couldn't have been any more than an infatuation. When she had abandoned him for power in the Crimson Dawn, Han had of course been disappointed but he had gotten over it, convincing himself that women only brought trouble and that he was better off alone and unconnected. Leia had changed all that. Now, even after all that had happened, Han couldn't imagine losing her. He knew deep down that losing Leia would utterly destroy him. _Perhaps this is what love is _he thought to himself. _To bind oneself inextricably to another. _With that thought, Han felt himself begin to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Han woke the next morning with a sharp pain in his neck. Tilting his neck, there was a series of pops and cracks. Rubbing his eyes, Han arched his back and stretched as he acclimated to his surroundings.

"Morning."

With a start, Han looked up quickly, causing him to wince his pain as his neck protested at the sudden movement. Rubbing his neck, he saw Leia standing in front of him with a cup of tea in her hands. Her hair was tangled and messy, and she was still wearing the dress from last night, now torn and crumpled, but to Han he had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"Uh… hi," he responded dumbly. They looked at each other awkwardly for a few moments.

"I made you some tea," Leia said finally, remembering the cup in her hands.

"Oh… thanks," Han said, accepting the cup even though he had never liked tea. Leia tapped her foot nervously as she watched Han sip the tea gingerly.

"Look, Han…" she began, pausing briefly when Han looked up at her from his cup. "I… I've done a lot of thinking this morning." Han lowered his cup onto his lap and said nothing, waiting for Leia to continue. "You were right about me," she admitted, causing Han to raise his eyebrows in surprise. Leia was not one to admit faults casually. "I have been terrible to you recently. I've been wrapped up in my own… drama that I forgot how important you are to me."

Han put his cup down on the ground and stood up, covering the distance between them in two short strides. Reaching out, he took each of Leia's hands in his own. "I've done some thinking too," he told her in a soft tone, his eyes fixated on their intertwined hands. "I have been a fool. After everything you've been through and all you have done for me, it was incredibly selfish of me to push you away like I did."

"Han, no it wasn't…" Leia tried to say.

"Let me finish," he insisted. "What I mean to say is that I was afraid. Not of you, but of myself. I was afraid to love you because I have never known what love was." Leia stared up at him with wide eyes, enraptured by his declaration. "But I know what love is now," he told her, lifting his left hand and placing it on her cheek. "I love you, Leia Organa, and I was a fool to think otherwise."

Leia gave Han a watery smile as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I love you too, Han Solo," she whispered before reaching up on her toes to kiss him softly. Han returned the kiss fervently, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist pushing her close into his body as if to tell himself that from now on he would never let go.

* * *

Luke had done his best not to show it, but he had been shaken immensely by his fight with Leia. Sprawled out on the ground, Luke had felt very much like he had when Vader had pushed him over during their duel on Cloud City; desperately afraid and certain he was only moments away from death. Leia had insisted she wasn't about to kill him, but the look in her eyes had terrified Luke to no end. It was if she had forgotten who he was.

And at the same time, Luke didn't despise her for what she had done. When she had broken down crying, Luke had felt no reservation about reaching out to her. They had a bond like no other, so much so that Luke felt pain whenever his sister was in pain, felt joy whenever she was happy. That night, Leia had been in a pain like no other and Luke had been unable to sleep because of it. He had decided to meditate instead, knowing that sleep was impossible.

Just as he was about to doze off, Luke felt a sudden burst of joy from deep within him. Opening his eyes, Luke grinned bemusedly, unsure as to why he was feeling this way. _It must be Leia _he reasoned. Intrigued to find out what had caused such a dramatic mood shift, Luke stood up and went downstairs where he instinctively knew Leia was. Just as he was about to enter the living room he saw them. Han and Leia were embracing one another in the middle of the room, their foreheads rested together. They each had a faint smile on their faces as they gazed into each other's eyes lovingly. Not wanting to interrupt such a tender moment, Luke retreated quietly back to his room, a relieved expression on his face.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

An hour later, Luke came downstairs for breakfast where he met a cheerful Leia. Han had evidently gone back to bed as it was unlikely he had gotten much sleep last night either. Deciding he didn't want to inform Leia that he had accidently spied on her and Han this morning, Luke asked "Why are you so happy this morning?"

She flashed him a radiant smile, her face glowing in a manner he hadn't seen in months. "Han and I made up," she informed Luke happily.

"That's wonderful," Luke exclaimed, feigning surprise. "How did that happen?"

Leia shrugged, still smiling broadly. "I don't really know," she told him. "We both kind of decided to stop being angry at one another."

Nodding, Luke reached out into the Force cautiously, trying to get a read on his sister's internal state. Unsurprisingly, he was greeted by a strong wave of positive energy, boundless enthusiasm and love was pouring out of Leia's spirit. Yet probing further, Luke encountered a familiar darkness deep within her. Doubt, frustration, and perhaps even self-loathing…

"Stop that," Leia said suddenly, the smile gone from her face.

Looking up at her quickly, Luke gave her a puzzled look. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"You don't have the right to sift through my mind like that," she told him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm just trying to help you, Leia," he replied.

"Well you don't have to invade my privacy to do that," she retorted haughtily.

"I know there's still darkness within you. I need to understand its source if I'm going to help you control it."

Leia opened her mouth to reply but closed it again as she considered Luke's words. She had instinctively pushed him away when she felt him reaching out to her through the Force, panicked that she had lowered her guard so much. She knew it was wrong to close herself off from Luke, but she was still deeply uncomfortable with disclosing her deepest secrets with anyone. Leia was saved from having to explain herself, however, when Sola entered the kitchen.

Seeing Luke and Leia, Sola paused for a moment. "Morning," she said cautiously.

"It's okay, Sola," Luke told her. "Leia and I aren't angry with each other. Please join us."

Visibly relaxing at Luke's assurance, Sola entered the kitchen. "You guys really beat up the poor patio," she said good-naturedly.

"Sorry about that," Leia said sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry," Sola told her. "It was beginning to crumble anyway."

"Our parents were married on that patio," Luke said softly, remembering the scene fondly.

"Where they really? Padme sure was good at keeping secrets, I guess," Sola said thoughtfully. "I wish she would have confided in me more, perhaps she I could have helped her…" Luke gave Leia a pointed look causing her to look away. _Why does he have to be so self-righteous all the time _Leia thought to herself.

_Maybe because I'm right?_

Leia swiveled her head in shock. Luke was looking back at her with an equally surprised expression on his face. _Did you just read my thoughts? _she asked silently.

_Did you just read mine? _Luke asked back.

Too deep in thought, Sola missed this strange interaction and continued talking. "Anyway, I was wondering what you two are planning to do with the remainder of your time here?

_This is so weird _Leia thought.

_Wait, what did she just ask? _Luke asked.

_I don't know, I thought you were paying attention!_

"Are you two okay?" Sola asked, perplexed by the expressions on her niece and nephew's faces.

"We're fine, really," Luke answered quickly. "I'm sorry, what was it you asked us?"

Sola gave him a funny look, thoroughly unconvinced by Luke's answer. "Uh… well, I just asked what you two planned to do while you were here on Naboo."

_Wait, can you hear everything I'm thinking? _Leia asked suddenly.

_Shut up! _Luke insisted.

"I'm not sure," Luke said, trying to ignore Leia's thoughts. "Maybe Leia has an idea," he added with a pointed expression.

"Huh?" she asked dumbly causing Luke to snigger.

_Very mature _she told him.

"We didn't have much of a plan when we decided to come to Naboo," Leia said out loud, ignoring Luke's mirth. "It was all very sudden."

"Are you no longer affiliated with the Rebellion?" Sola asked causing Luke and Leia to hesitate.

"Not really, I suppose," Luke said finally. "Leia could have stayed behind to help rebuild the New Republic, but she decided to come with me and train to be a Jedi."

"I might rejoin politics one day, though," Leia said.

Sola looked at Leia warmly. "Padme would have been so proud of you if you were to help restore the Republic." Leia pursed her lips and looked away, questioning her decision not for the first time. _Maybe I should have stayed in politics _she thought to herself.

_It's too late for that now _Luke told her.

_What do you mean? _she asked indignantly. _It's my decision. _

_You're only beginning to understand your powers. You would be too dangerous if you returned without being able to control them. _

_You just want me to become a Jedi so that you're not alone _Leia told him.

_You know I'm right, Leia _he responded, not addressing her assessment. _You're a danger to yourself and all those around you in your current state. _

"Are you sure everything is alright?" Sola asked again. "Why are you two staring at each other without saying anything? It's kind of creepy."

"Were we doing that?" Luke asked innocently. "Sorry, we were just erm… it's a…"

"It's a Jedi thing," Leia interrupted, saving Luke from his ramblings. "It's very hard to explain."

Sola nodded once slowly, clearly perplexed.

"You know, I have been thinking about doing something for a while," Luke said, changing the subject. "But I haven't even had the resources to do it."

"What's that?" Leia asked him.

"Founding a new Jedi temple," he answered. "I know the one on Coruscant is still there, but it seems a bit too… grand for my purposes."

"And you want to build it on Naboo?" Sola asked.

"Perhaps," Luke replied. "I can't think of a better place. It's so beautiful here."

Sola crossed her arms and tilted her head, evidently thinking about something. "You know," she said eventually. "It's possible that the Queen could give you the resources you need."

"Why would she do that?" Leia asked, knowing from experience that politicians rarely give funds freely, and hardly ever would they do it without any strings attached.

"If you can prove that you are the children of the great Queen Amidala, I doubt there would be anything Queen Soruna wouldn't offer you."

Luke stroked his chin thoughtfully, considering Sola's proposition. _What do you think? _he asked Leia silently, making a point not to look at her this time.

_I don't know, _Leia replied honestly. _I don't think it would be as easy as she says it would be. _

"I don't think that would be enough," Luke said aloud, echoing Leia's doubts. "We've never done anything for Naboo, why should we expect to be treated so exceptionally?"

Sola smiled faintly at her nephew. "I don't think you understand how much your mother is revered on this world," she told him. "And I don't know if you know this, but your father is a bit of a hero here as well."

"He is? Why?" Luke asked.

"Young Anakin Skywalker was here on Naboo during the first year of your mother's reign when the vile Trade Federation invaded," Sola told them. "He was only nine years old, but somehow he got himself on a fighter plane and managed to destroy the Droid Control Ship orbiting the planet. He single-handedly ended the war."

"That's incredible," Luke said, shaking his head in disbelief. Would the wonders of his parents never cease?

"Oh come on, how could a nine year old do that?" Leia asked cynically. "Sounds like a myth to me."

"Perhaps," Sola said with a shrug. "But we all knew about the 'Hero with no Fear' during the Clone Wars. He was supposed to be the greatest pilot in the galaxy."

Leia shook her head, not wanting to hear any more about how wonderful Anakin Skywalker was. "Well, he turned into Darth Vader," she said with a frown.

Sola raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised by the malice in Leia's voice. "I suppose he did," she said wistfully. "It's just so sad what happened to him. He was such a lovely young man when I met him. He absolutely adored Padme."

"He did it to himself, you know," Leia said harshly. "He doesn't deserve your pity."

Sola didn't know what to say to that, so they fell into an awkward silence. Clearing his throat to break the tension, Luke spoke. "Well, I think we might as well talk to the Queen if you think it's worth it, Sola," he said.

"I assure you it will be," Sola said, grateful for Luke's interjection. "If you'll excuse me, I'm supposed to contact my husband this morning,"

"Of course," Luke said, watching his Aunt leave the kitchen hastily.

_Did you know we could do this? _Leia asked soundlessly after Sola had left.

_No, _Luke answered. _I don't think this is normal, though. _

_What do you mean?_

_I could communicate telepathically with father a little bit when he was alive, but it was never this clear _Luke said. _Our Force presences must be so intrinsically connected that we are able to communicate this way. _

_But why now? Why couldn't we do this before? _Leia asked.

_You are becoming stronger in the Force, Leia. Your powers are growing exponentially. This is why it is imperative that you complete your training. You must learn how to… _Luke stopped when something hit him in the back of the head. "Ow!" he exclaimed out loud, looking around to see an apple on the ground at his feet.

"I'm so sorry!" Leia said unconvincingly, trying hard not to laugh. "I – I just thought I would try to move something with the Force because you said I was becoming more powerful. I didn't mean to hit you, I swear!"

"Well, congrats," Luke said bitterly, rubbing the back of his head tenderly. Luke's eyes narrowed as Leia continued to giggle at him. She stopped suddenly, however, when the apple floated off the ground and hovered menacingly next to Luke.

"You wouldn't –" she tried to say, but was cut off when Luke threw the apple across the room, hitting Leia squarely in the forehead. "Luke!" she exclaimed, stumbling backwards due to the impact.

"That's a reminder to you," he said with false gravitas. "I am still the master here." The twins stared at each other silently for a few moments before they both began to laugh, suddenly conscious of the hilarity of the situation. They laughed for a solid minute until they both had tears in their eyes.

"I really am sorry," Leia said after they had stopped laughing, reassuming a genuine tone.

"I know you are," Luke replied solemnly, knowing that she was no longer talking about the apple. "We'll get through this together, Leia. Don't forget that you're not alone."

Leia smiled at him weakly. "Thank you, Luke," she said quietly, wishing she could convey how much she appreciated her brother's undying support. _Thank you for everything _she told him silently prompting Luke to smile back at her warmly.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next few days were the happiest Leia had had in what felt like months. Now that Leia was beginning to be able to move objects with the Force, she was able to move on with her Jedi training. Under Luke's tutelage, Leia spent hours each day refining her powers and learning how to use the Force on herself so that she could leap several feet into the air and perform flips with ease.

While Luke had told her not to abuse her newfound powers, she was having a hard time not using them for mischief. For example, during dinner Han was surprised to find that whenever he reached out for his soup spoon, the spoon would slide away from his grasp around the bowl causing the soup to slosh about. Perplexed, Han had looked around the table to see if anyone had noticed this strange behavior. Finding that no one was paying any attention to him, he tried again, only to have the spoon spin away from him once again.

Besides this incident, Han and Leia were getting along better than ever before. Whenever she wasn't training with Luke, Leia could be found with Han, taking long strolls along the beach, swimming in the lake, or having picnics in the meadows. Leia had never felt so at peace and so full of life.

The Naberries had been exceptionally hospitable towards their unexpected guests, even Ruwee had begun to thaw and had acknowledged Luke and Leia as his grandchildren. Sola was particularly receptive towards her newfound niece and nephew. Leia sensed that Sola wanted to serve a maternal role towards her and Luke. While Leia appreciated Sola's efforts, she was unable to oblige her aunt fully as her mother had always been Breha Organa, and she was sure Luke felt the same about his Aunt Beru who raised him.

At the end of the week the Naberries prepared to leave Varkyino. Sola had to return to work in Theed and Ruwee and Jobal insisted that they preferred living in their smaller home anyway.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want," Jobal had told Luke and Leia on the last night of their stay.

"We couldn't," Luke had said. "We should be on our way as well."

"Hopefully the Queen will accept an audience with us," Leia had added.

That night Leia was packing up in her room when she heard a faint knock on the door. Sure that it was Han, Leia walked to answer the door with a smile on her face. "Sola?" she exclaimed when she was greeted by her aunt instead.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she said apologetically. "I just wanted to make sure I saw you one last time before I leave in the morning."

"It's no problem at all," Leia told her.

"May I come in?" Sola asked.

"Of course," Leia said, beckoning Sola into her room. "I'm sorry, it's a bit messy in here. I was just packing up."

As she walked into the room, Sola bent over and picked up a silken dress that was strewn over the bed. Holding it up to shoulder-height, Sola smiled faintly at the simple yet elegant dress. "Your mother was always a very fashionable woman," she said with a faint smile. "Although she often wore much more extravagant outfits than you do." Leia nodded, unsure what to say.

"It's so unfair that you never got to meet her," Sola said softly, her lower lip trembling slightly. "You would have loved her so much."

Surprised by this sudden outpour of emotion, Leia crossed the room and grabbed her aunt's hand. Sola smiled at the gesture, using her other hand to wipe an errant tear away. "I'm sorry for getting all teary on you," she said. "I learned to stow away my grief long ago, but meeting you and Luke has brought all the pain back." Sola's smile faded as she looked at their intertwined hands for a few moments. "You and Luke are each so much like her, but in different ways."

"She sounds much more like Luke than like me," Leia said with a hint of bitterness, suspecting begrudgingly that she was much more like her father.

"Oh, that's not true," Sola told her, squeezing Leia's hand. "She may have been gentle and kind, but she could also be ruthless. She was a very determined person; she knew what she believed in and she was a relentless fighter. I always thought of her as a mixture of warmth and steel."

Leia smiled at her aunt, but internally she was questioning herself. _Is that really what I am? _she thought. _Do I know what I believe in? _When she had been a part of the Rebellion, she had always known what she was fighting for. It had been easy back then. But now, what path was she on? To become a Jedi? To follow Luke?

"I didn't come to sadden you," Sola said, rousing Leia from her doubts. Letting go of Leia's hand, Sola reached around the back of her neck. Undoing a chain, Sola lifted it around her head and presented a small golden locket to Leia. "I want you to have this," she said solemnly.

Taking the chain, Leia opened the locket to find a lock of dark brown hair. Looking up at Sola, Leia's eyes widened. "Is this – "

Sola nodded. "It's Padme's," she said.

"I couldn't take this from you!"

"No, you must," Sola insisted sternly. "You need it more so than I."

"What do you…" Leia stopped when she realized what Sola was saying. "Proof?"

Sola nodded again. "The Queen can't doubt you if you prove that you are Padme's children. I'm sorry I didn't give this to you earlier, I didn't even think about it until this afternoon."

"Oh Sola, thank you so much," Leia said earnestly, closing the locket carefully and placing it on the bed. Sola smiled warmly at her niece and placed her hands on Leia's forearms.

"She was my best friend, you know. I would do anything for her children," she said gently. "It warms my heart so see that you are as close to Luke as I was to Padme," she added.

_We're closer than you could ever understand _Leia thought to herself with a smirk. While it had been scary at first to learn that Luke could hear her every thought, but the benefits of telepathic communication had proven to be much greater than she could have ever imagined. One night she had heard Luke heading downstairs, probably to meditate on the patio as he did often when he couldn't sleep. Curious to see how good the range on telepathy was, she had thought _Luke, can you get me some water while your down there? _Five minutes later, she had heard a knock on her door.

"You know, you could have gotten this yourself," he had said while handing her a glass of water.

"I know, but this was so much easier," she had told him with a grin.

"I'll let you get back to your packing," Sola said after a moments pause, rousing Leia once again from her memories. "And please remember that if you need anything, I would be more than happy to help."

"Thank you for everything, Sola," Leia told her graciously. After giving her a hug, Sola left the room to allow Leia to finish packing.

* * *

The next morning Luke, Leia, and Han awoke to a disturbingly quiet house as the Naberries had left the night before. Perhaps feeling as if they didn't belong in the grandiose estate, the trio ate their breakfast quickly and began packing in haste.

As Han was loading their luggage onto the boat, Luke and Leia stood side by side on the pier watching the sun creep up above the horizon. Leia watched Luke out of the side of her eye, unsure if she should say anything. He looked so peaceful in that moment, his hands behind his back as he gazed out at the serene lake. Nonetheless, she felt that she had to speak.

"Luke, I still don't think this is a good idea," she told him in a strained voice. While Sola had steadfastly insisted that Queen Soruna would welcome them as heroes, Leia still had her doubts. A life in politics tended to enhance a person's cynicism and paranoia, and Leia was no exception.

"I'm well aware of that, Leia," Luke replied after taking a deep breath. "You think I'm far too trusting."

"Yes, you are," she confirmed. "I know Soruna, she turned to the Rebellion but only after it became convenient to her. She's a pragmatist and a manipulator."

"She has nothing to fear from us," Luke argued.

"Maybe so," Leia agreed. "But that doesn't mean she won't perceive us as a threat. She might think we're here to overthrow her in our mother's name."

Luke said nothing, continuing to stare off into the distance. After a while, he looked down at his shoes, evidently deep in thought.

"Let me go alone," Leia said finally. "She wouldn't try anything if I say I'm with the Rebellion."

"But you're not with the Rebellion," Luke stated matter-of-factly.

Leia rolled her eyes. "I know that," she said, a hint of condescension in her voice. "But she doesn't."

Luke gave her a sharp look. "Deception is not the Jedi way," he told her.

Leia merely shrugged, unimpressed with Luke's dogmatism. "I'm not a typical Jedi," she said. "And neither are you for that matter." Frowning, Luke looked away again, squinting as the first rays of sunlight reflected off the shimmering lake. "You know I'm right," Leia said, irked by her brother's attitude.

"Perhaps," he replied. "But I won't let you go alone."

"I am perfectly capable – "

"You misunderstand me," Luke interrupted. "If you insist that the Queen is not to be trusted, I will respect your judgment. But if she is to trust one of us, it would be me, not you. You are a politician, and a well-known one at that. I, hopefully, am still a nobody."

"What are you saying?" Leia asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I will see the Queen alone," he replied. "Please," he said, cutting off Leia's impending rebuttal. "Do not fight me. I will not yield on this." Leia paused, her mouth still open from when she was going to rebuke Luke. _I will not willingly put you in danger _she heard Luke say in her mind. _Please, allow me this. _

"Fine," Leia said aloud, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "But let me know if something goes wrong."

Luke smiled faintly. "I will," he said. "But nothing will go wrong."

Leia snorted derisively, clearly unconvinced by Luke's confidence. "Take this too," she said, reaching into her pocket and producing the locket Sola had given her the day before. Luke nodded, placing the chain around his neck, already knowing the significance of the locket from Leia when she had told him about it yesterday.

"Please be careful," she said. _I can't lose you _she added silently.

Luke nodded and returned his gaze to the horizon, smiling faintly as he appreciated the beautiful, ethereal sunlight. _I will be _he replied. _You'll never lose me, Leia. I promise._


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Having returned the boat to the bored shopkeeper, the trio made their way back into Theed. They made the journey in a tense silence, all three firmly aware that they were taking an unnecessary risk. But Luke had been insistent.

"Do you want to pretend that she wasn't our mother?" he had accused Leia the previous night.

"No, of course not – "

"Then what is the problem?"

Leia had dropped the issue then, not wanting to get into an argument while the Naberries were still home. She had tried to talk some sense into him on the dock, but once again had gotten nowhere. The harsh reality was that Luke did not understand politics like she did. Sourna had indeed flipped her allegiance towards the Rebellion towards the end of the war, but this did not relieve Leia of her suspicions towards the monarch. After all, she had been crowned under the guise of the emperor, who had always held an especial interest in Naboo given that it was his home planet.

Coming to a stop in the city center, Luke hopped out of the speeder gracefully, no doubt using the Force to elevate himself higher than what otherwise would have been possible. Not one to be outdone, Leia tried to do the same, but she caught her foot on the side of the speeder, causing her to tumble inelegantly to the ground. Han couldn't help but snigger, as he exited the speeder by opening the side door like a normal person. Standing up and brushing herself off, Leia gave Han a sour look. Luke, for his part, had seemed not to have noticed Leia's blunder and was instead looking around at the towering buildings around them.

"Where am I supposed to go?" he asked to nobody in particular.

Han snorted. "You drove us here, we thought you knew where you were going."

"I figured finding a palace wouldn't be terribly difficult," he responded with a shrug.

Leia sighed. "Come on," she said, taking Luke by the arm and dragging him in the direction of the main road. "I thought pilots were supposed to have a good sense of direction."

"And I thought princesses were supposed to be graceful," Luke retorted with a grin. Leia rolled her eyes. _So he had seen that _she thought to herself morosely.

_Yes, yes I did _Luke responded.

_Get out of my head, Luke!_

Han gave Luke a funny look when the younger man started laughing at nothing in particular. Noticing Han's confusion, Luke cleared his throat and looked away. Once they reached the main road, the made their way down towards the Royal Palace, which loomed impressively at the end of the wide street.

"Wow," Luke said as he took in the majestic building. Ignoring Luke's awe, Leia's eyes darted around at the crowd of people flowing past them, a hand instinctively resting on her lightsaber under her robes.

"Come on," she muttered to Luke. "We need to keep moving." Pushing through the crowds, they made their way towards the Palace which seemed to grow exponentially in size as they approached. Reaching the front steps, they were stopped by a broad-shouldered security guard.

"Stop right there," he said in a deep voice. "What is your business here?"

Luke stepped forward, his hand held out to stop Leia from following him. "I am here to request an audience with the Queen," he said confidently.

The guard raised his eyebrows. "Do you have an appointment?" he asked.

"No, but –"

"No appointment, no audience," the guard interrupted, clearly annoyed. "You have to schedule these things months in advance. Move along."

"Wait, you don't understand –"

"Sir, I will forcibly remove you if you don't leave now."

Luke slouched his shoulders. In his typical haste, he hadn't given much thought into how he was actually going to get an audience with the Queen. He could try using a mind trick, but he wasn't sure it would work on the guard who was steadfastly determined to remove Luke from the premises. Fortunately for Luke, however, Leia had foreseen this problem and acted accordingly.

"You will let us through," she said authoritatively, taking a step forward. The guard turned to look at Leia and furrowed his brow at her. "We're with the New Republic."

"You must be Princess Leia," the guard said. "Why didn't the Republic inform us that you would be arriving?"

"That is none of your business," she replied haughtily. "You will bring this man to the Queen, or we will inform the Republic that Queen Soruna is being uncooperative."

The guard opened his mouth to reply, but paused. His eyes were strangely glassy. Disturbed by the look on his face, Leia looked to Luke who was grinning back at her. _Nice work _he said silently with a wink.

_What do you mean? _Leia asked.

Ignoring her, Luke turned back to the guard who was still staring at Leia with a dumb expression. "You will bring me to the Queen now," Luke said forcefully.

"I – I will bring you to the Queen now," he repeated shakily.

"You will forget that you saw Princess Leia here," Luke demanded. The guard nodded his head slowly. Blinking a few times, the guard looked back up at Luke.

"Right this way, sir," he said in a faint voice. Grinning, Luke followed the guard into the Palace, leaving a bewildered Han and a concerned Leia behind him.

_Be careful _she told Luke silently as she walked him climb the marble steps and disappear into the Palace. She received no reply.

* * *

The guard led Luke through a series of opulent, marble hallways into the epicenter of the Palace. As they approached what Luke assumed to be the Throne Room, he couldn't help but notice the dozen or so armed guards watching him suspiciously. Ignoring his colleagues, the dazed guard Luke had been following led him through a set of broad oak doors into the main chamber.

Entering the room, Luke saw the Queen sitting on a throne, half a dozen young girls standing attentively by her side. Opposite the Queen were two processions, one made of Gungans and the other of some elderly men in flowing black robes. As the oak doors swung open, everyone looked around towards Luke and the guard.

"What is the meaning of this?" Queen Soruna asked in a loud, clear voice.

"Your majesty, I present to you…" the guard trailed off, realizing he didn't know the name of the young man he had been escorting. He turned to Luke with a look of utter bewilderment on his face.

"My name is Luke Skywalker, your majesty," Luke said, saving the guard. "I apologize for the abruptness of my arrival."

Queen Soruna stared at Luke intently for a few moments, her eyes narrowed. After a few tense moments, she looked away towards a middle-aged woman standing next to her. After whispering something to her subordinate, Soruna looked up at Luke once more.

"Welcome, Luke Skywalker," she said, surprising Luke immensely. "Gentlemen, I apologize for this interruption. If you would please follow my chancellor, we shall resume these talks at a later date." The two processions looked at each other with disgruntled expressions, but they complied with the Queen's demand and followed the middle-aged woman out of the Throne Room, passing Luke as they left.

The guard, for his part, was looking around the Throne Room anxiously. "W-what am I doing here? Who are you?" he asked Luke in a panicked voice. Choosing to ignore the bewildered man, Luke stepped forward when the Queen beckoned him to do so. Reaching the center of the Throne Room, Luke bowed before the Queen.

"Skywalker," Soruna said slowly, enunciating every syllable with emphasis. "A descendant of Anakin's, I presume?"

Standing up straight, Luke nodded. "He was my father," he replied.

The Queen raised her eyebrows, her suspicions of the young man growing. "Are you a Jedi as well?" she asked.

Luke nodded again. To Luke's surprise, Soruna narrowed her eyes menacingly for a brief instant at Luke's affirmative response before recovering, maintaining a neutral countenance. Looking away from Luke, she raised her right hand and beckoned the two guards standing at the door forward.

"You must forgive me, but I cannot allow you to be armed in my chamber," she said placidly. "Even if you are a Jedi."

Luke put his hand around his lightsaber. While it was no doubt a reasonable request, Leia's warnings rang in his mind.

"Your weapon, sir," a guard to his left said. Hesitating only briefly, Luke produced his weapon from his belt. Twirling it once so that the inactivated blade faced himself rather than the guard, Luke offered his prized possession to the guard.

"Good," Soruna said. "I assure you, you will have your weapon back after we are finished." Luke said nothing, waiting for the Queen to continue. "So," she said eventually, "What brings you to Theed, Master Jedi?"

Luke couldn't help but detect a faint bitterness in her voice when she called him a Jedi, causing Luke to tense up. _Perhaps Leia was right _he thought to himself. Forcing himself to ignore his concerns, Luke stood up straighter and absentmindedly clutched at the locket dangling over his chest.

"Your majesty, I have come to Naboo because I have recently learned the identity of my birth mother who hailed from this world."

Somewhat surprised, Soruna sat back a bit in her throne. "Is that so? Forgive me, but what does this have to do me?" she asked.

Luke smiled faintly. Taking his hand off the locket, he placed both his hands in front of him in an attempt to convey that he was not a threat. "Because, your majesty, I am the son of Queen Amidala."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Queen said nothing for a few moments, staring back at Luke with a decidedly un-regal expression on her face. After a while she composed herself and adopted a blank expression once again, but Luke was painfully aware of the panic ensuing beneath the cool surface.

"That cannot be possible," one of the handmaidens said, noticing her Queen's shock and intervening on her behalf. "Queen Amidala died before giving birth, everyone knows that."

"She died right after I was born," Luke replied calmly. He decided not to mention Leia, knowing that if things were to turn south, he'd much rather the Queen not know about her. Realizing that the handmaiden was unconvinced, he reached around his neck and took off the chain. "In this locket is a lock of my late mother's hair," he said. "You may run tests if you wish."

"That hair could belong to anyone!" another handmaiden exclaimed.

"It was given to me by my aunt and by Queen Amidala's sister Sola," Luke replied. "I assure you, it is hers."

"My lady, surely you can't believe –"

"Silence!" Soruna ordered suddenly, shutting up her handmaiden. "Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?" she asked in a low voice, eying Luke suspiciously.

Luke shook his head emphatically, disconcerted by the Queen's reaction. "Not at all, your majesty."

"Then why are you here?"

Luke paused, suddenly understanding why Leia had been so hesitant to seek an audience with the Queen. He had come before her unannounced and armed, declaring himself the son of the two greatest heroes of Naboo's history. Soruna had every right to fear him; he represented a serious threat to her legitimacy which was shaky at best given that she had been crowned by the dreaded Emperor Palpatine.

"You seek to overthrow me, don't you?" she asked in a low voice.

"I have no such ambitions," Luke said, struggling to remain calm. "I simply wished to ask for a favor."

"A favor?" she repeated indignantly, her eyes widening. "What sort of favor?"

Luke swallowed hard, noticing about two dozen guards entering into the Throne Room behind him with blasters at hand. "I apologize, your majesty," he said, deciding to abort the mission entirely. "I see now that it was wrong for me to disturb you in such an abrupt manner. I have no right to ask anything of you." Soruna scrutinized Luke's face for a few moments, recognizing his sincerity but fearing him nonetheless. "I guess I'll be going now…"

"No, Master Jedi, I'm afraid that won't be possible," Soruna said coldly. "See, you present a great threat to me. I cannot allow you to leave this Palace freely." Luke looked around frantically as he saw the guards form a semicircle formation around him, blasters aimed at his back. "Guards, take him away."

Luke spun around to face the guards, each of whom were training the weapons directly at him. Panicking, Luke pushed the nearest guard away from him with the Force, sending the man flying into a marble column.

"Stun him!" a guard called out. In a leap, Luke jumped over the blaster fire and flipped, landing behind the line of guards. Pushing a few more guards back, one of whom landed with a thud at the Queen's feet, Luke turned to run towards the exit. He stopped when a phalanx of guards came streaming out of the door to greet him, blasters pointed at him. Realizing he was defeated, Luke raised his hands in surrender.

_You were right, Leia _he thought as a guard roughly cuffed his hands. _Why didn't I listen to you?_

* * *

Han was sitting at the foot of the steps to the Palace watching Leia pace back and forth in front of him. He had tried to convince her to relax and maybe go stroll around the city for a while as they waited for Luke, but she had shot him down. They had been waiting there for about fifteen minutes when Leia abruptly stopped pacing and swiveled her head towards the Palace entrance.

"What's wrong?" Han asked, sitting upright.

"Luke's in trouble," she said with a hint of panic in her voice. She reached down to grab her lightsaber. "We have to help him."

"Whoa, wait up a second there, princess!" Han said quickly, rising to his feet and putting himself in front of Leia. "What do you mean he's in trouble?"

"I can feel it!" she said irritably, looking around Han to see if anything was happening at the Palace entrance. "He's in danger!"

"Leia, stop!" Han said urgently, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You can't just go running in there alone, you don't stand a chance."

Leia's eyes darted frantically between the Palace and Han and was breathing rapidly as if she were hyperventilating. "We have to help him, we have to help him," she kept saying.

"Leia, listen to me!" Han yelled, shaking her a bit. "You have to calm down." Leia looked back at him with wide eyes. "We need a plan," Han said, knowing that he had her attention. "We can't go in their guns blazing, alright?"

Leia nodded her head, looking down at her lightsaber. Taking a few deep breaths, she regained her composure and felt her momentary panic slip away. "You're right, Han," she said in a calmer voice. "You can let me go," she added. Han released her and put his hands on his hips, still looking at her with a worried expression.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, really," Leia said quickly. "Just give me a second." She closed her eyes and focused on locating Luke's force presence. Despite him being so far away, she had no difficulty locating him, perhaps because he was emitting waves of stress and fear.

_Luke, _she called out into the void _Luke, can you hear me? _Leia waited patiently for a few moments, oblivious to Han's perplexed expression.

_I'm here _she heard him respond, although his voice sounded faint and far away compared to how it usually did. _Leia, you were right. I was a fool to come here. _

_What happened? Are you alright? _she asked back.

_I'm fine for now. The Queen is convinced that I'm here to overthrow her, though. She had me arrested; I don't know where they're sending me but I've definitely left the Palace. _

_We'll find you, Luke. Don't worry, we'll rescue you. _

_No! _Luke insisted forcefully, the word reverberating in Leia's skull. _There's too many, you'll never reach me alone. You have to find another way. Listen, I have to go, promise me you won't try to break me out alone. _

_I promise, _she replied, starting to panic once again. _Luke, what am I supposed to do? _But she got no reply; Luke's presence had faded away leaving her alone once more. Opening her eyes, Leia suddenly felt extremely lightheaded, perhaps because of the exertion from communicating over such a large distance. Stumbling slightly, she felt herself fall towards Han.

"Leia!" she heard Han call out to her in shock. Colliding into Han's chest, Leia's body went slack and everything went dark.

* * *

Leia woke up a few hours later on a firm, uncomfortable mattress. Groaning, she rolled over and curled up into a fetal position. Her mouth was extremely dry and she had a pounding headache.

"How're you feeling?" she heard a familiar voice ask. Opening her eyes, she saw Han seated on a stool next to her bed. Looking around, she realized she was in a passenger hold on the Millennium Falcon.

"Horrible," she mumbled, sitting upright. Feeling dizzy from the sudden change in position, she leaned her head against the cool metallic headrest next to her. "What happened?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"You passed out," Han told her. "Here, take these," he added, producing two tablets and a glass of water. "It'll help." After swallowing the pills, Leia began rubbing her temples as the events of the day came back to her.

"Luke…Luke's gone," she said. "I knew it was a bad idea, but I let him go anyway."

"Leia, listen to me," Han said. "You can't go after him. Do you hear me?"

"No, I have to save him! I can't lose him…"

"Leia…"

But Leia wasn't listening. Standing up, she looked around the room for her lightsaber. Unable to find it, she looked at Han suspiciously. "Han, where is my lightsaber?" she asked in an ominous tone.

Shifting on his stool nervously, Han looked down at his feet. "I uh…I have it," he said.

Leia took a step towards him. "Give it back to me, Han," she demanded.

Regaining his confidence, Han stood up off the stool so that he was now standing directly in front of Leia. "I will not," he said firmly. "Not until you promise me you're not going to do something stupid."

Leia's eyes widened in indignation. Feeling a strong surge of anger course through her, Leia envisioned herself pushing Han back with the Force, demanding that he give back her weapon. How dare he stand in her way when Luke's life may be at stake?

Fearing Leia's dark expression, Han tried to take a step back but tripped on the stool behind him, causing him to stumble backwards inelegantly. Leia felt her anger recede, replaced by a sudden urge to laugh at Han's blunder. Taking a deep breath, she calmed down and scolded herself for even considering attacking Han again. Vader's warning rang in her head: _Defeat the darkness or suffer my fate. _

"Han, I'm sorry," she said, a wave of nausea crashing over her causing her to sit back down on the mattress. "You're right, I'm being an idiot." Relieved, Han moved the stool aside and kneeled down in front of her.

"We're going to get him back, OK?" he said reassuringly, putting a hand on her knee. "We just need a plan first."

Leia laughed in spite of her lightheadedness. "Since when were you the logical one?" she asked good-naturedly. Han merely shrugged and grinned back at her.

"Why don't you get some more rest?" he said after a few moments. "You seem like you need it."

Leia opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself when she realized that Han was right. Evidently, communicating telepathically with Luke over such long distances came at a cost. Nodding, she slipped back into the bed and laid her head on the pillow. Giving her a quick peck on the cheek, Han turned to leave the room, turning the light off as he left.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Luke sat cross-legged in the middle of his surprisingly comfortable cell. When he had arrived at the prison complex a few hours ago Luke had been panicking, feeling certain that his naiveté was going to result in his execution. Taking a few minutes to compose himself, however, Luke calmed down considerably. Meditating on the cool floor, Luke had come to realize two facts which gave him solace. For one`, he was on Naboo, a planet renowned for its democracy and justice – while Soruna was obviously no Amidala, even she had to abide by the law. Second, Luke knew that Leia would stop at nothing to rescue him.

This last point was as troubling as it was reassuring, however. While she had given him her word that she wouldn't try to break him out by herself, Luke was firmly aware of how stubborn she could be. While she was undoubtedly progressing rapidly with her Jedi training, he knew she would have no chance in rescuing him from this complex. Soruna had been especially careful with Luke, perhaps because she knew how powerful Jedi could be. Because of this, she had sent two dozen guards to escort Luke to the prison, and six heavily armed guards were currently guarding his cell door.

While he wanted to convey to Leia how well guarded his cell was, he too had been weakened by their long-range communication. While he had not passed out like Leia had, he knew that it was probably a bad idea to try to communicate with her until he regained his strength.

Luke took a deep breath and tried to ignore his growling stomach and parched mouth. He had tried about an hour ago to ask the guards for something to eat, but evidently they had strict orders to ignore him. Much to his amusement, they had even been provided with earmuffs which they put on whenever Luke tried to talk to them so that he wouldn't be able to use any Jedi mind tricks.

The hours ticked by as Luke sat motionlessly on the floor, meditating. While he was expertly disciplined, he knew he couldn't ignore his hunger and thirst forever, however. Finally, he decided to give up and try to ask the guards for something to eat. When he opened his eyes, however, he recoiled in shock.

"_I'm impressed. I'd reckon you were meditating for five hours straight without noticing me at all." _

"Father, what are you doing here!" Luke asked. Anakin smiled good-naturedly and raised his eyebrows in faux-indignation.

"_What, you're not pleased to see me?" _he said sarcastically. Luke rolled his eyes, well-acquainted with his father's sense of humor by now. _"I'm here to help," _he said, his tone serious now. _"Although I am quite disappointed that both of my children ended up in jail." _

"I blame it on bad genes," Luke retorted playfully.

Anakin gave Luke a stern look. _"Now look here," _he said, pointing his ghostly finger at Luke. _"I married your mother in order to offset those genes. You have no excuse." _

Luke laughed, but stopped abruptly when one of the guards turned and gave him a weird look. "What are you laughing about?" he asked gruffly.

"Nothing," Luke said quickly. "Actually, could I have something to eat?" he asked, recognizing an opportunity. Unfortunately, the guard had turned away again and had placed his earmuffs on firmly to drain out Luke's voice. His stomach grumbling loudly, Luke sighed and looked back towards his father.

"_I'm sorry I can't help you," _Anakin said. _"I can't interact with the physical world." _

"I know," Luke said, whispering so that the guards wouldn't hear him talking.

"_But I can help in other ways," _Anakin said.

Luke gave him a curious look. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"_I can serve as your messenger to Leia_," he said earnestly, clearly excited at the prospect of being useful.

"Oh!" Luke exclaimed, wondering why he hadn't thought of this before. His brief enthusiasm faded quickly, however, when he recalled what happened the last time Leia and Anakin had interacted. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Luke asked.

Anakin waved a hand dismissively. _"This is more important. She will put our differences aside for your benefit." _Anakin hesitated for a second and frowned. _"Or at least I hope so," _he added.

Luke nodded. "I hope you're right. If not, I'll have to try to communicate with her telepathically again."

Anakin's raised his eyebrows in surprise. _"Again?" _he asked. _"You've done this before?" _

"Yes, it is actually pretty easy for us when we're close but it can be quite draining over long distances. I take it this isn't common?"

Anakin shook his head pensively. _"No, not at all," _he said. _"We'll talk about this later," _he resolved after a few moments._ "Right now, I need your message to Leia." _

"Right," Luke said, still intrigued about why his father had been so surprised to learn about his telepathic powers with Leia. "Tell her that under no circumstances should she try to rescue me by herself. I know she's capable, but she stands no chance against this level of security."

Anakin shrugged. _"I'll tell her, but I'm not sure you're right about that. She beat you pretty good last time I saw her." _

Giving his father a sour look, Luke continued. "Soruna doesn't know that she's my sister, so she can use that to her advantage."

"_OK, anything else?" _Anakin asked.

Luke shook his head. "That's all I can think of. She'll figure out what to do, I'm sure of it."

Anakin gave his son a faint smile, wishing not for the first time that he could reach out to him physically and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Instead, he stood up. _"See you soon," _he said. _"Hang in there, OK?" _With that, Anakin's force ghost faded away leaving Luke alone in his cell. Luke closed his eyes once again, trying to ignore a particularly sharp pang of hunger.

* * *

Leia woke up abruptly, suddenly conscious that she wasn't alone. Pretending to still be asleep, she subtly reached down to her waist but stopped halfway when she remembered that Han still had her lightsaber. Remembering where she was, Leia forced herself to remain calm. _You're on the Falcon _she told herself. _Nobody's going to hurt you. _

Logically, she knew she was safe. Despite this, she was feeling a disturbing sense of déjà vu. Sleeping in the small, dark passenger hold made her feel as if she was back on the Death Star, awaiting torture. A familiar presence enhanced her sense of unease as well…

"_Would you wake up? I know you're not sleeping," _a voice said.

Opening her eyes, she saw Vader's force ghost looming above her bead, an amused expression on his face. Screaming, she jolted upright and retreated as far away as she could from him. "Get away from me!" she yelled, clutching her knees fearfully.

Vader rolled his eyes. _"Now you've done it," _he said irritably.

"Leia!" she heard Han call out from somewhere in the hallway. Rushing into the small room, Han turned the light on. "What's wrong?" he asked, short of breath.

Squinting in the bright light, Leia looked between Han and Vader.

"_Would you calm down, for once?" _Vader asked.

"Why were you watching me sleep?" she asked.

Vader shrugged. _"I didn't want to wake you," _he said somewhat honestly. If he was being honest with himself, however, the real reason was because he had enjoyed watching her sleep. She had been so peaceful being oblivious to his presence.

As it dawned on him what was happening, Han sighed, knowing that there was little he could do to help in this situation. "What does he want?" he asked Leia.

"What do you want?" she asked Vader accusatively.

"_You do realize I can hear him too, right?" _he said in a misguided effort to lighten the mood. Leia's stormy expression, however, made it clear that this effort was not received well. _"I have a message from Luke," _he said, getting right to the point.

"Oh," Leia said, her expression lightening considerably. "He has a message from Luke," she relayed to Han.

After he told her Luke's message, Leia frowned and looked towards Han.

"What?" Han asked. "What did he say?"

"Nothing new, really," Leia said dejectedly. "He doesn't think I can rescue him."

"_That's not what he said," _Vader corrected. _"He wants you to find another way, and so do I." _

Leia gave an exasperated sigh. "What else can I do?" she asked.

Vader crossed his arms. _"There's always another way, Leia."_

"Do you think the Rebellion could help?" Han asked, unknowingly overlapping with Vader. Leia looked at him thoughtfully.

"Perhaps," she said slowly. "You said Soruna doesn't know I'm Luke's sister?" she asked Vader.

Vader nodded. _"Luke said you could use that to your advantage." _

Leia pursed her lips and looked away, a plan formulating in her mind. "I have an idea that might just work," she said. "Tell Luke to stop worrying, by the way," she added.

"_Will do," _Vader said with a wink. Flashing her a smile, Vader's ghost disappeared. Shaking her head at Vader's antics, she turned back to Han.

"Come on," she said. "We have a lot of work to do."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Sitting down by the hologram table in the main hold, Leia entered a code into her portable holocomm device. Pausing before she submitted the code, she looked up at Han who was leaning against the doorway leading to the cockpit.

"How do I look?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious about her unkempt hair and dirty robes.

"Beautiful as always," Han replied with a suave grin.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Suck up," she muttered, making a half-hearted effort to flatten her rampant bedhead.

"I'll be in the cockpit if you need anything," Han said. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Leia said. Giving her a nod, Han turned around and left for the cockpit. Taking one last deep breath, Leia forced herself to stop fidgeting with her hair and submitted the code. Leia waited for a few tense moments before an unfamiliar female figure formulated in front of her.

"With whom am I speaking?" the stranger asked in a sharp voice.

"I'm sorry, I meant to speak with Senator Mothma. Do I have the wrong code?"

The woman gave Leia a suspicious look. "I am Interim Chancellor Mothma's personal secretary," she replied flatly.

"Interim Chancellor…? Oh! I see. So sorry, I hadn't heard…"

"The Chancellor is very busy at the moment," the secretary said stiffly. "If you have nothing of substance to say, I will ask you to call back later."

"No! I need to talk to Senator – I mean Chancellor Mothma right now. This is urgent!"

But the secretary wasn't listening as she had swiveled her head around to look at something behind her. "Who is that?" Leia heard a muffled voice ask. Suddenly, the distinct figure of Mon Mothma materialized behind the secretary.

"I'm not sure, Madame Chancellor," she replied.

Close enough to make out the hologram, Mothma halted and stared back at Leia. "Leia?" she said. "You look… different."

Embarrassed, Leia made another attempt to flatten her hair.

"Retransmit this to my office," Mothma ordered and turned around. Before Leia could say anything, the hologram disappeared. After a few moments, Mothma's figure reappeared, this time seated in front of a desk.

"Princess Leia, it's an honor to speak to you again so soon," Mothma said candidly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Sitting up as straight as she could, Leia adopted her most diplomatic posture. "Chancellor Mothma–" she began, but was interrupted.

"_Interim _Chancellor," Mothma said with a twinkle in her eye as if she was used to correcting people.

Faltering, Leia paused to recollect herself. She had prepared a longwinded explanation, but now in her panic she realized she had forgotten it. Deciding to dispel with the pleasantries, Leia got right to the point. "I'm currently on Naboo where Luke has been taken prisoner by Queen Soruna," she said quickly.

"Oh dear," Mothma said with genuine concern. "Whatever made Soruna do that?"

"Luke went to her to ask for her assistance in founding a new Jedi temple on Naboo. But she interpreted him as a threat and imprisoned him instead," Leia explained.

"A threat? What made her think that?" asked Mothma.

Leia hesitated for a moment before seemingly changing the subject. "Were you acquainted with Senator Amidala during her tenure in the senate?" she asked.

Mothma raised an eyebrow. "I was," she answered slowly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Leia smiled weakly in spite of herself. "Senator Amidala was our mother."

Mothma's eyes widened in shock, her mouth held slightly agape as she stared back at Leia's hologram. Leaning back in her chair, she blinked a few times as she absorbed the information.

"So you can see why Soruna would interpret Luke as a threat?" Leia asked the bewildered stateswoman.

Mothma made no indication that she had heard Leia's question. Instead she leaned forward and looked at Leia with her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Leia's face intensely.

"Chancellor?" Leia asked, slightly unnerved by Mothma's reaction.

Mothma leaned back once more, straightening her back and reassuming her stiff diplomatic posture. "_Interim _Chancellor," she corrected again. "Forgive me Leia, this news comes as a bit of a shock to me."

"It came as a shock to me as well," Leia said. "I only just learned about this a few weeks ago."

Mothma said nothing for a few moments as she continued to stare back at Leia, perhaps noticing similarities she had never noticed before between the young princess and her late friend and ally Senator Amidala. "What can I do to help?" she asked suddenly with a firm resolve to her voice.

Caught off guard by Mothma's intense willingness to help, Leia was silent for a few seconds; she had expected this was going to be more difficult. "Oh, well I was hoping that, er… well I wanted the New Republic to demand that Soruna release Luke."

Mothma grimaced slightly. "You do realize I don't have that authority?" she said. "At least not yet."

"Yes, yes I figured that would be the case," Leia said quickly. "My idea was that you would send a delegation to Theed to request Luke's release."

"And you planned to lead this delegation, I presume?"

"Er… yes, that was the idea."

Mothma stroked her chin pensively and looked back at Leia with an unreadable expression for a few moments. "It could work," she concluded. "But Soruna is not the type to bend easily to external pressures. She may have sided with the Rebellion, but she is a very independent ruler."

"I understand that, but it's worth an attempt," Leia said. Unbeknownst to Mothma, Leia had no intention of letting Soruna dismiss her delegation easily; if it came to it, she was more than willing to using more _aggressive _negotiation tactics, perhaps involving blasters and a certain blue lightsaber.

"Indeed, it is," Mothma agreed.

Leia's heart soared. This had gone much better than she had anticipated. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I will allow you to lead this delegation, but only on one condition," Mothma said, wiping the smile off Leia's face.

"Of course, anything you ask," Leia said hurriedly, fearing that she had seemed ungrateful.

Mothma gave her a wry smile. "Good," she said. "Here is what I want of you."

* * *

Han was fiddling absentmindedly with one of the many switches on the control panel in the cockpit of the Falcon when Leia walked in. Stretching his neck to look at her without moving from his chair, Han noticed that she looked particularly grim – her brow was furrowed and her forehead creased with concern.

"What's wrong?" Han asked, getting to his feet.

Leia didn't look at him right away, her arms crossed in front of her. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine, totally fine," she said unconvincingly.

"Leia…"

"I'm fine!" she said shrilly. Han gave her a concerned look,

"I'm more than fine, actually," she said with a weak smile. "Mothma agreed to help us."

"She did?" Han said. "Then why are you…"

"Totally fine!" Leia interrupted quickly.

Han raised his hands in surrender and backed off.

"The Republic is going to help us get Luke back," she said earnestly.

"Oh yeah?" Han said, sitting back down in the captain's chair. "How, exactly?"

"Mothma's going to let me lead a delegation to request Luke's release."

"Delegation? What does that mean?" Han asked.

Leia smiled mischievously. "What it's _supposed_ to mean is that the Republic sends an ambassador accompanied by a procession of lesser diplomats and bureaucrats. But Mothma's not sending diplomats."

"What do you mean?" Han asked.

"Given Soruna's…belligerence, Mothma felt it necessary to send a squadron of infantry to accompany me."

"Infantry?" Han exclaimed, sitting up in his chair. "Are you sure this is a good idea? How will the Queen react to that?"

Leia shrugged nonchalantly. "She won't have much of a choice. They will be there on the orders of the Chancellor. To disobey the Chancellor's wishes is to sacrifice Naboo's place in the New Republic."

Han frowned. He had never been one to understand the intricacies of politics. From his point of view, Soruna wasn't going to allow several dozen armed troops into her Palace no matter what the Chancellor had to say about it. "I don't know, Leia. Don't you think this is a bit too aggressive?"

Leia's eyes flashed with indignation. "Aggressive?" she said haughtily. "She was the one who started this when she arrested Luke arbitrarily."

"I know that, but…"

"I'm doing the right thing!" she insisted forcefully. "I need your support, Han."

"Of course I support you," Han said with uncharacteristic calm. "I just think you're acting a bit rash, that's all."

Leia took a deep breath, forcing herself not to lash out at Han who she knew was only trying to help. "You know I value your input, Han," she said. "But you don't understand politics like I do. Soruna will respond to power, nothing else."

"You mean you're not even going to try to negotiate with her?" he asked in surprise.

"I didn't say that. Of course I will try, but when that inevitably fails I'd like to have some muscle backing me up."

Han said nothing, the concern evident on his face.

"Look," Leia said softly, taking a step towards him. "I know you're concerned. But would you not do the same if you were in my position?"

Han looked away, ignoring Leia's question. "I'm going with you," he said definitively after a brief silence.

"What? No, Han…"

"I will not let you go in there by yourself."

"I won't be alone…"

"I'm not going to lose you," he said passionately, standing up abruptly so that he was just inches away from Leia. "I've only just got you back," he added softly.

Surprised yet also pleased by his fierce ardor, Leia acquiesced. "Fine," she said, looking up at Han's determined face. "You can come."

Han grinned. "Good," he said, putting his hands on Leia's shoulders. "We're going to get him back, okay? We'll do whatever it takes."

"Speaking of which," she said. "I'd very much like to have my lightsaber back."

Han raised his eyebrows. "I don't see how that connects to what I said at all," he teased.

"Han," Leia said sternly. "I need my lightsaber."

Rolling his eyes, Han took his hands off of Leia's shoulders. "Alright, alright. I'll go get it for you."

"Good," she said, relieved that Han was trusting her again. "Because I have a feeling I'm going to need it."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Early the next morning, Leia and Han waited by a nearby landing platform at the Theed space station for the 'delegation' to arrive. All the while, Han had been careful to keep his reservations to himself. He knew there was nothing he could do to change Leia's mind about this, and expressing his fears would only serve to irritate her further. Leia's assurances – that Soruna wouldn't be bold enough to defy the direct wishes of the new Chancellor – did nothing to allay Han's sense of dread.

As the bulky personnel carrier descended towards the landing platform, Han's disconcertion was only accentuated. This had all the signs of a full on military operation rather than a diplomatic mission. Surely the Naboo wouldn't be fooled; surely Soruna wouldn't permit this blatant display of force?

Emitting several loud jets of propulsion, the personnel carrier slowed its descent and finally landed in the center of the platform. With another loud hiss, the vehicle's flank opened up revealing a dozen or so infantrymen waiting to disembark.

Jumping off the deck, the troops organized themselves into two rows in front of Leia and Han, their hands all rigidly saluting them. Noticing that Leia was returning the gesture, Han hurriedly raised his own hand to his forehead, feeling distinctly awkward and out of place. Sure, he had technically been a general, but he had never cared much for military discipline or code.

"At ease," Leia told the troops authoritatively. The troops all simultaneously widened their stances and placed their hands in front of them. "Which one of you is the commanding officer?" she asked.

An older looking man at the far left of the first row stepped forward. "Sergeant Fischer, at your service, ma'am."

Leia gave the sergeant a curt nod. "I assume you have briefed your men on the nature of this operation?" Han winced in spite of himself. An operation? Had Leia dropped all pretense that this was supposed to be first and foremost a diplomatic mission?

"Yes, ma'am," Sergeant Fischer replied.

"Good," Leia said, walking along the first row so that she could inspect the troops. "I remind you that in the case of a confrontation you are to follow my every order and that you set your blasters to stun." Giving Han a brief glance, she continued. "I want to avoid a conflict at all costs, but be warned that the Queen may be unwilling to negotiate through… traditional channels."

Han tore his eyes away from Leia to look at the troops. They were all rapt with attention to Leia, showing no indication that they resented being given orders by a young woman. On the contrary, as Han investigated them a bit closer, he realized that they all seemed to be in awe of her.

"Our meeting is scheduled at 12 hundred standard hours," Leia said, retreating from the line of soldiers to stand next to Han once again. "We will be in our ship at Station 4. I expect your men to be waiting for us there at 11:30," she told the sergeant.

"Yes, ma'am," the sergeant repeated.

"Good," Leia said and turned to leave. Following her, Han heard the soldiers click their heels and salute once more as they watched Leia leave the platform.

* * *

Leia was waiting moodily in the main hold while Han was off somewhere else in the ship, no doubt trying to avoid her. She knew he still had his reservations, but evidently he was wise enough not to confront her. She had enough to think about as it was.

Knowing that she still had a couple of hours before the troops were to arrive to escort her to the Palace, Leia sat up and started pacing the main hold. _What will Luke think of me when he finds out what I've done? _she thought morosely.

Stopping abruptly in the center of the main hold, she chastised herself. _He'll understand, _she assured herself. _I had to do this to rescue him. I have no other choice…_

Resuming her pacing, Leia continued to struggle with her guilt. She hadn't told Han yet. Why not? Surely he would understand. But she couldn't tell him, for whatever reason she knew that she couldn't confide in anyone right now, even Han.

Frustrated, Leia unclipped her lightsaber and activated it, soothed by the weapon's energetic hum. Swinging it a few times in a precise and well-rehearsed sequence, Leia began to feel her stress and guilt ebb away. Finishing the sequence, Leia looked down at her lightsaber with a remorseful look. Sighing, she deactivated it and placed it down on the hologram table.

Rubbing her eyes wearily, Leia turned away from the lightsaber to start pacing again.

"_You show great skill with the lightsaber," _she heard a now all-to-familiar voice say. Looking up, she saw Vader's force ghost looking back at her from a few feet away, a strange expression on his face. Was it pride? Or was he being sarcastic?

"_I mean it," _he said, perhaps sensing Leia's confusion. _"Luke has taught you well."_

Leia said nothing, finding herself too tired to tell Vader off.

"_Although if I am being truthful," _he said, apparently oblivious to Leia's weariness. _"You demonstrate much more talent with the lightsaber than Luke does." _

Surprised and a little bit indignant, Leia frowned at Vader. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked accusatively.

Vader smiled back at her, irritating Leia immensely. _"Luke is a skilled swordsman, don't get me wrong. But you have always been more adept at appreciating nuance, at mastering technique."_

"You don't know a thing about me," she said, but without the fervor or anger which she had been anticipating. Her worry for Luke and overwhelming sense of guilt about what she planned to do clearly had left her too preoccupied to maintain her typical pugnacity towards Vader.

"_Although perhaps you're not using the ideal fighting style. You know, I think you might be better suited for Form V, but then again…" _

"Why are you here?" she interrupted rudely.

"_To give you a warning,"_ he replied, evidently not insulted about being interrupted.

Leia sighed. "Tell Luke I don't need––"

"_Not from Luke,"_ Vader said. _"From me."_

Leia raised her eyebrows and gave Vader a withering glare. "Are you here to criticize my methods as well?" she asked in a steely voice.

"_No,"_ he said calmly. _"But keep in mind what I showed you."_

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"_Everything,"_ Vader said passionately, all hints of levity now gone from his voice. _"For you are following a path very similar to mine."_ Before Leia could say otherwise, Vader continued. _"I told myself that I would do whatever I could to prevent your mother from dying in childbirth, including turning to the dark side."_

"I'm not going to turn to the dark side!" Leia said angrily. "This is totally different. Luke is actually in danger, what do you want me to do? Sit here and wait for the best?"

"_Of course not,"_ Vader said. _"But remember that it is easy to forget about what is right and what is wrong when those we love are in danger."_

Leia said nothing, too indignant to speak. Since when did he know anything about right and wrong?

"_The lines can be blurred in situations like these. Take care to remember this when you meet the Queen this evening."_ Without waiting for a response, Vader disappeared, leaving Leia staring at the empty wall. Feeling even more frustrated than before, Leia spun around with a huff and picked up her lightsaber off the table. Turning it over gently in her hands, she absentmindedly admired the weapon's sleek and simple design.

As much as she wanted to, Leia couldn't pretend that Vader's warning wasn't salient. With a twinge of self-loathing, she remembered that there was perhaps no one else in the world who could understand Leia's situation as much as he could. Their similarities were uncanny.

But they were not identical, Leia reminded herself. Leia was actually justified in her actions while Vader had not been. Luke was in tangible danger. Vader had been afraid of a nightmare like a child. Besides, it wasn't as if she was tempted by the dark side like Vader had been. She was merely doing what she had to do to rescue Luke. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

Agitated, Leia activated her lightsaber once again and resumed her rehearsals. Envisioning Soruna's laughing face, which was particularly ugly in Leia's mind given that she had never actually met the young Queen, Leia sliced through the air with an unmatched fury. _I will destroy you, Soruna _she thought to herself viciously. _You will pay for what you did to Luke. _


	26. Chapter 26

_**Author's Note: Apologies for the long delay. I had a computer crisis so I was unable to access the document for a few weeks. Also, I have decided to increase the rating to T due to dark themes that occur in this chapter and later on in the story. **_

* * *

Chapter 26

A few hours later Leia and Han greeted the squadron in the shadow of the Millennium Falcon. While Leia was still nervous and irritable, she put on a strong face for Han and the troops. As they made their way out of the spaceport, the troops formed a ring around herself and Han to escort her to the street.

As they exited the premises, the approached a row of heavily armored speeders, the insignia of the Rebellion emblazoned proudly on the sides. Evidently the New Republic hadn't gotten around to altering the logos on their military vehicles quite yet. Looking around surreptitiously for potential threats, the soldiers escorted Leia briskly to the vehicles.

"In this one, your highness," the sergeant said gruffly, pointing to the middle vehicle. Ignoring Han's smirk, Leia stepped into the speeder.

They made the journey in austere silence. Avoiding Han's eye, Leia looked out the window of the speeder sightlessly, her mind far away. She was very tense, suspecting and perhaps even hoping that there would be a confrontation. She knew that in that case, Soruna wouldn't stand a chance. Even without her heavily armed contingent, Leia felt certain that armed with her trusty lightsaber, she could take on anyone or anything the Queen threw at her.

And yet Vader's warnings continued to ring in her mind. Moreover, Mothma's request continued to eat at Leia's conscience. To top it all off, she knew somehow that wherever Luke was, he was suffering. With so many things gnawing at her, she felt as if she was about to explode. Anger was the only thing that was keeping her sane; anger at Soruna for arresting Luke, anger at Vader for his pretentiousness, even anger at Mothma for what she had asked of her.

With a sudden lurch, Leia was awoken from her thoughts. Refocusing her eyes, Leia noticed that they were in front of the Palace.

"Follow me, your highness," she heard Sergeant Fischer say, his voice oddly distant. Her heart beating painfully in her throat, Leia stood up, crouching slightly for the ceiling was shallow, and followed Han and the Sergeant out of the speeder.

A fat droplet of water greeted Leia's forehead as she clambered out of the speeder. Glancing up, she noticed the normally blue sky was now ominously overcast with grey, foreboding clouds. Ignoring the depressing weather, Leia made her way purposefully to the front steps of the Palace, her guards once again forming a diamond formation around her and Han.

With her head held high, Leia began ascending the marble steps, holding her flowing robes up as she did so. Her lightsaber jostled reassuringly against her right leg. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the guard whom she had tricked into letting Luke into the Palace the morning before. His stoic face revealed nothing, yet she couldn't help but detect a sense of resentment or perhaps even indignation towards the heavily armed troops escorting her.

Reaching the top of the steps, the guards in front of her stepped aside to reveal a trio waiting for them at the entrance. Standing at the edge of the steps, a middle-aged woman dressed in a navy-blue dress was flanked by two young girls.

Stopping two steps short of them, Leia being well-versed in political theatre knew that their positioning was no accident. Already being vertically challenged, Leia craned her neck to meet the stony gazes of the three women in front of her. Leia stared back resolutely, determined not to display her irritation at the arrangement.

"Princess Leia," the middle-aged women in the center said with an unmistakable tone of contempt. "We are honored to welcome you to Naboo."

Leia clenched her teeth, not trusting herself to speak. Waiting for perhaps a bit longer than ordinary for the woman seemed to be relishing this brief moment of power she held over Leia, she spoke again. "I am Queen Soruna's chancellor, Rumé, and these are two of the Queen's handmaidens." She gestured to the frowning girls on either side of her.

Nodding curtly to each one of them, Leia remained silent. Realizing that she wasn't going to elicit any sort of reaction from Leia, Rumé stood aside and beckoned Leia to follow her. Synchronizing her step with Rumé, Leia made no attempt to converse with the chancellor as she marched determinedly into the Palace.

The group formed a strange queue as they made their way to the center of the building; Leia and Rumé in the front; the two handmaidens directly behind them; Sergeant Fischer and Han a little farther back; and the rest of the troops in orderly rows making up the rear.

With a deafening creak which reverberated around the high-ceilinged hall the great oak doors opened as the procession approached, revealing a the brightly-lit throne room. The room was circular with a high-domed ceiling. Arched windows ran along the walls which on a normal day would have allowed in copious amounts of light. In the center of the room directly underneath the highest point of the dome sat the Queen, surrounded by the rest of her handmaidens.

To Leia's disappointment, the Queen wasn't as ugly and wretched-looking as she had imagined. Instead, she had a rather plain, pleasantly rounded face although it was difficult to ascertain much more about her true appearance because of the thick coating of makeup and absurdly complex headpiece traditional for the Queens of Naboo. Despite her ostentatious attire, Leia could see clearly that the Queen was quite young, several years younger than Leia herself. Dismissing this observation as irrelevant, Leia stopped a few meters short of the Queen in the center of the throne room. Looking directly into the Queen's eyes, Leia bowed slightly, her eyes never leaving the Queen's.

"Queen Soruna," she said.

"Princess Leia," the Queen replied. There was an uncomfortable silence for a brief moment before Soruna looked past Leia to the assembly of armed guards. "May I ask why the Republic felt it necessary to send such a… belligerent assembly to escort you?"

"Interim Chancellor Mothma felt it necessary," Leia said shortly.

Soruna frowned, dissatisfied with this answer. "And why might that be?"

A flash of dislike coursed through Leia and her face twitched angrily. Was she just playing dumb or did she honestly not know the severity of the offense she had committed?

Disconcerted by Leia's expression, the Queen floundered briefly. "I assure you I have done no wrong! I am a faithful servant of the New Republic, surely you know–"

"Are you familiar with Commander Skywalker?" Leia interrupted, disgusted by Soruna's desperation.

Soruna froze, a hint of recognition seemed to dawn on her face. "Skywalker? Do you mean Anakin Skywalker?"

Leia couldn't help but smirk. "No," she said derisively. "Luke Skywalker, his son."

Sornua swallowed hard and glanced over at her chancellor. "No, I can't say that I am," she said with surprising confidence.

Leia's eyes widened in disbelief. So this was the Queen of Naboo? This foolish woman was a successor of her mother's? This deceitful and despicable girl, too craven to admit that in fact she had arrested Luke Skywalker the day prior?

"Now, now," Leia chided with an ominous edge to her voice. "You and I both know that isn't true."

Soruna's eyes narrowed and she leaned forward in her throne. "What is this about?" she asked, all hints of cordiality gone from her voice.

"I know that you had Luke Skywalker arrested in this very room yesterday morning," Leia explained. "The Republic has sent me to retrieve him."

"And why does the Republic care so deeply about this man?" Soruna asked.

Behind her she heard Han snort in indignation. "That is of no matter to you," Leia said coldly.

Soruna's face contorted in visible rage. "You seek to overthrow me!" she bellowed, surprising Leia who took a step back. "You want to install Skywalker as your puppet!"

Leia neither confirmed nor denied this accusation which served to infuriate Soruna further who leapt off her throne and began pacing in front of Leia. "You never trusted me," she said spitefully, talking more to herself than to Leia. "The Rebellion always suspected me, never believed I was true to the cause. I hated Palpatine more than anyone!" she yelled, her shrill voice echoing throughout the room.

A voice from behind her spoke. "Your majesty, we have no intention to –"

"Stay out of this, Han!" Leia ordered, not turning to look back. "Your choice is very simple, your majesty," she said, addressing the Queen. "Release Skywalker or face the wrath of the Republic."

Soruna stopped her pacing and looked up at Leia, an ugly sneer on her face. "You're no better than the Empire," she said viciously. "You have no jurisdiction here! I am Queen, you can't tell me what to do!"

"Very well then," Leia said. Turning around, Leia was about to give the order the soldiers to arrest the Queen when Han yelled out.

"Leia, look out!"

All of a sudden, she felt herself get pummeled to the ground. The unmistakable sound of a blaster being fired pierced the air, accompanied by a grunt in pain and the heavy thud of a body falling to the floor.

"Stun her!" she heard a voice from behind her call. The room erupted in blaster fire with Leia caught in the crossfire. She was reaching desperately for her lightsaber when she noticed Han on the ground in front of her, his shoulder smoldering from where he had been shot.

"Han!" she yelled, her fear rendering her oblivious to the blaster fire all around her. Rolling him over, she saw that he was still alive, a dazed expression on his face.

"Leia?" he mumbled.

"We need to get you out of here!" she said, dragging him by his unwounded arm to the edge of the room. Looking up, she saw that the handmaidens had all drawn weapons and were firing at the soldiers who in turn had set their blasters to stun. The chancellor was crouched by the throne, her hands over her ears. She seemed to be screaming, but Leia couldn't hear her over the blaster fire.

Dumping Han unceremoniously against the wall, Leia drew her lightsaber and looked around frantically for Soruna. She spotted her fleeing towards a back exit, blaster still in hand. Closing the door with the Force, Leia took off after the cowardly Queen, blood pounding in her ears. Casually deflecting a few blaster bolts, Leia leapt gracefully over the throne, landing softly on the ground and continued to sprint towards Soruna.

Turning around, the Queen's eyes widened in fear as she saw Leia approaching her with a lightsaber in hand. Turning her blaster on Leia, she opened fire. Deflecting the bolts, Leia sliced down at the blaster, slicing off Soruna's hand as she did so. With a shriek of pain, Soruna fell backwards, her headpiece falling off her when she hit the floor. The blaster fire ceased as quickly as it had begun; the handmaidens all stopped firing when they heard their Queen cry out.

"Drop your weapons!" she heard Sergeant Fischer demand as the troops approached to immobilized handmaidens.

Breathing heavily, Leia stared down at her prey yet the pitiful sight beneath her made her pause. Soruna was clutching her stump of an arm and tears were pouring down her cheeks, making a mess of her heavy makeup. She was trembling with fear, her eyes fixated on the lightsaber at Leia's side. Suddenly, it dawned on her just how young the Queen really was…

Stumbling backward, Leia deactivated her lightsaber and put a hand to her mouth in horror at what she had done. Lying beside Soruna was her severed hand, a finger still wrapped around the trigger of the blaster. Revolted, Leia closed her eyes tight.

"_When I saw what I had done, I realized that I had become what I sought to destroy."_

"_Defeat the darkness or suffer my fate." _

"_What I had done."_

"_And you say you're nothing like me." _

"_I had become what I sought to destroy."_

"_Suffer my fate."_

Leia opened her eyes. Looking down, she met the tear-filled gaze of the quivering Queen. Not knowing what she was doing, Leia kneeled down and put her arm around the young girl's shoulders. "Shh," she cooed, propping the Queen up gently. Terrified, Soruna tried to squirm away, but Leia held her firmly. "You're alright now," she said maternally, perhaps speaking as much to herself as she was to Soruna. "Everything's going to be alright."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Vaguely, Leia heard the sounds of commotion behind her as the handmaidens all dropped their weapons and the soldiers approached her and Soruna. Her entire attention, however, was dedicated to the trembling girl she held in her arms; the girl whom she had mangled so brutally. Reaching out to her through the Force, Leia managed to sooth Soruna slightly by releasing some of her pain, siphoning it to herself instead. Grimacing, Leia didn't look up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Your highness, we know where Commander Skywalker is," someone said. "Chancellor Rumè has agreed to release him."

Leia nodded absently, her eyes still fixed on Soruna. "Are any of your men wounded?" she asked in a whisper.

"No ma'am. Just General Solo."

Remembering that Han had been injured, Leia looked up from Soruna to meet the grim gaze of Sergeant Fischer. "Take him and the Queen to the nearest hospital," she ordered. "And be discreet. I don't want anyone to find out what happened here, at least not yet."

Nodding, the Sergeant turned around and barked an order to his troops. Two men came scurrying over carrying a stretcher. Using the Force to lighten Soruna's weight, Leia lifted the now semi-conscious Queen up into the air and laid her softly onto the stretcher. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Han had been placed on a stretcher as well.

"Shall we escort you to Commander Skywalker, your highness?"

"No," Leia said. "I will go with the Queen. You can retrieve Commander Skywalker without me."

If he was confused by this turn of events, the sergeant didn't show it. Instead he turned around and selected four men to accompany him to get Luke. "The rest of you, escort the casualties and Princess Leia to the nearest hospital." The men saluted and turned to perform their various tasks.

"Your highness, allow me to –"

"No, I can manage," Leia said, dismissing the young soldier who stepped forward to push Soruna's stretcher. Acquiescing, the young man stepped aside and allowed Leia to guide Soruna out of the throne room.

* * *

Leia was just about to drift off to sleep when she heard Han groan. Sitting up quickly, Leia acclimated with her surroundings. She was in the hospital in Theed, sitting in an armchair beside Han's bed. Bleary-eyed, Leia stood up and walked over towards Han.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like Hell," he said, reaching over to find that his right shoulder was heavily bandaged. "What happened?"

"You saved me," she said softly, brushing some of his hair away from his eyes. "I turned my back on Soruna and she drew a blaster. She hit you in the shoulder." Han tried to sit up, but Leia pushed him back down. "You need to rest," she said sternly. "They told me they're going to put you in the bacta tank as soon as you woke up."

Han groaned. "I hate those blasted tanks," he muttered.

Leia smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Han sighed deeply and closed his eyes again, the conversation clearly having exhausted him. Backing away quietly, Leia slipped off into the hallway.

Looking around to see if anyone was watching her, Leia snuck down the hall. Stopping in front of the room next to Han's, she peered through the glass wall. On the other side lay Queen Soruna, her right arm wrapped in a gauze. Noticing that none of her handmaidens were with her, Leia slipped into the room silently after a brief moments hesitation.

Soruna was staring down mournfully at her right arm and didn't notice Leia enter. Her voice caught in her throat as she saw how devastated the young Queen looked, so instead she simply stood in the corner of the room watching. After about a minute, Soruna seemed to notice that she was no longer alone and looked up. Seeing Leia, she recoiled immediately, pulling her knees into her chest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked fiercely. Leia paused, recognizing herself in the young girl. This had been how she had greeted Vader when he appeared at her bedside just the day prior. Closing her eyes, Leia took a deep breath as a wave of self-loathing cascaded over her. She was the same as Vader in Soruna's eyes, she had committed such a heinous and barbaric act of violence that she had become what she sought to destroy.

"My brother lost his hand when he was just a few years older than you," she said softly. Leia was ashamed to realize that there were tears in her eyes. She wiped them away in frustration, not allowing herself to act as if she deserved forgiveness for she knew that she didn't.

Soruna said nothing, her eyes shining with fear and loathing. "They make incredible prosthetics nowadays," she added lamely.

"What do you want?" Soruna asked, her eyes darting around the room as if trying to find an escape route.

"To apologize," Leia said, taking a bold step forward and sitting down on the edge of Soruna's bed. Soruna backed up as far as she could, her back pressed firmly to the bed's headrest. "Even though I don't expect you to accept it."

"Will you have me imprisoned or executed?" Soruna asked in a strong voice.

Startled by the question, Leia blinked a few times before responding. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Soruna snorted. "I may be young but I'm not a fool," she said. "I know you plan to install Skywalker as King. The only question is what will you do with the spare?"

"No, Soruna we don't –"

"I am a Queen and you will address me as such!" she interjected shrilly.

Taken aback yet nonetheless impressed by Soruna's attitude, Leia couldn't help but smile.

"You think I'm a fool?" she asked, evidently offended by Leia's smile.

"No, you just remind me of myself," Leia said calmly.

Momentarily surprised, Soruna recovered quickly. "I'm nothing like you," she said with a savage bitterness. Leia's smile widened in spite of herself. This must be how Vader felt when he talked to her, she realized.

"The Republic has no intention of overthrowing you, your majesty," Leia said. Technically, she couldn't be sure of this since she wasn't actually a part of the Republic, but she felt it highly unlikely that Mothma would ever resort to such methods.

"Is that so?" Soruna said skeptically.

"I was not sent here to install a puppet regime," Leia said forcefully, determined to convince Soruna of this. "I am here to rescue my brother, that is all."

"Your brother?" she repeated incredulously. As soon as she said it, however, realization dawned on her face. "You are the daughter of Amidala," she said. Leia nodded. "Then you shall succeed me."

Leia raised an eyebrow, sure she had misheard her. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Surely you must know I am finished," Soruna said in a hollow voice. "The Republic will not allow me to continue to rule after this. The people will elect you as their next Queen after I am gone."

Leia opened her mouth to correct her, but then closed it again realizing that Soruna was at least partially correct. She had imprisoned a hero of the Rebellion and opened fire on Republican troops. Her political career was all but finished. "I do not seek to become Queen of Naboo," Leia said finally. "I am from Alderaan, after all. Not Naboo." Soruna shrugged, apparently apathetic to this point.

Leia looked away, disheartened by how devastated the young Queen looked. She had done this to her, Leia reminded herself. She had ruined this young woman's life singlehandedly…

Leia looked up suddenly as an idea struck her. "Soruna, look… I mean your majesty," she corrected when Soruna gave her an angry look. "Perhaps I can help you." Soruna's indignant expression told Leia what she thought of this proposition, but Leia ignored it and continued. "What if I was able to secure you a pardon?" she said.

"And how would you manage that?" Soruna asked.

"Never mind how," Leia said impatiently. "If I were able to pardon you, you would able to remain as Queen, would you not?"

Soruna shrugged noncommittedly. "Legally, perhaps. But this hypothetical is of no importance. I will resign either way."

Irritated at Soruna's despair, Leia stood up off the bed abruptly. "Don't you see? You wouldn't have to resign!"

Soruna shook her head morosely, her eyes fixated on her lap. "You don't understand, Leia Skywalker." Leia flinched as if she had been slapped, but Soruna didn't seem to notice this visceral reaction and continued. "I am not like your mother. I am a relic of a previous era. The people no longer respect me. Perhaps they never did. The people will cease to accept me if I choose to rule after being pardoned."

Leia felt her irritation seep away as she realized that Soruna was right; whenever the people looked at her they would always associate her with Palpatine and with tyranny. A pardon wouldn't help her at this stage. "Well you'll still need a pardon anyway. You'll be branded as a traitor to the Republic the moment the story leaks. The Senate will call for your head."

"And why do you wish to help me?" she asked, seemingly uninterested by the prospect of being sentenced to death.

"Because I want a favor," she said. In truth, she would have sought to grant Soruna a pardon regardless since she wanted to do everything in her power to save this young girl and prove that she wasn't like Vader after all.

"A favor?" she said. "What could I possibly do for you?"

"Grant my brother's request. Allow him to build a Jedi temple on Naboo."

Soruna's eyes narrowed as she gave Leia a curious look. "You speak as if this would not be to your benefit. You are a Jedi as well, are you not?"

Leia shook her head and glanced downward at Soruna's heavily bandaged right arm. "I am no Jedi," she said solemnly. "Not anymore."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

While Soruna had not committed to granting Luke a Jedi temple, Leia was fairly sure that she had convinced her to accept the pardon should she be able to get her one. Knowing that the young woman was warming up to Leia whom she had just a few minutes prior been utterly terrified of, Leia was confident that she would get her to agree soon. Slipping out of the room when Soruna's handmaidens returned, Leia ran into Sergeant Fischer in the hallway who told her that they had retrieved Luke without any difficulties and that he was in the room next to Han's.

Thanking him profusely, Leia ran off down the hallway towards Luke's room, a curious mix of elation and guilt brewing within her. Not bothering to knock, Leia pushed open the door to Luke's room and entered. In the bed sat Luke, looking a little pallid but otherwise no different than usual. He was arguing with an exasperated nurse who was trying to insert an IV.

"Commander Skywalker, please," she said.

"I'm fine, really!" Luke insisted.

"Commander Skywalker, you're dehydrated."

"Then get me a glass of water," Luke said petulantly, crossing his arms so that the nurse couldn't insert the IV.

"Don't listen to him," Leia said while leaning against the doorframe with a smile on her face. A posture she had no doubt picked up from Han.

Luke looked up quickly to see Leia in the doorframe. "Leia!" he said with a broad boyish grin. "Ouch!" he exclaimed loudly. The nurse had successfully inserted the IV while Luke had been distracted.

"Make sure he doesn't tear that out," the nurse muttered to Leia as she quickly fixed the saline bag to the newly inserted IV and turned to leave.

Leia gave the disgruntled nurse a knowing smile as the latter left the room shaking her head. Walking over to Luke's bed, her smile evaporated as she scrutinized his face more carefully. "Are you okay?" she asked seriously.

"I'm fine, really," Luke said with a smile. "Although I am feeling a lot of déjà vu."

Leia frowned. "How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well we seem to be in this situation a lot, don't we?" he said. "Remember Hoth?"

Blushing slightly, Leia looked away in embarrassment as she remembered kissing Luke after he had nearly died on the frozen planet. Fortunately, Luke didn't seem to notice her discomfort and continued talking.

"And then after Bespin when I lost my hand." This caused Leia to wince as the sight of Soruna clutching her mangled arm flashed before her eyes, yet still Luke remained oblivious. "And now here we are again."

Leia tried to smile at him but only managed a weak grimace. "Hopefully this will be the last time," she said softly.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Luke said gaily. "Jedi have a proclivity to situations such as these, you know." Leia said nothing, the elation of seeing Luke again and seemingly healthy was wearing off quickly, replaced by an overwhelming sense of guilt and discomfort.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked. Receiving no reply, Luke reached out through the Force but was repelled forcefully. Abruptly conscious that something was awry, Luke sat up straight in his bed. "Leia, what happened?" he asked, the boyish enthusiasm gone from his voice.

"You don't want to be in here," she said, pointing to her head. Laughing humorlessly, Leia looked down at Luke's mechanical hand with a perverse curiosity. "How is your hand?" she asked suddenly.

"My hand? Leia, what is wrong?"

Leia looked back up from Luke's hand to his blue eyes which were full of concern. Leia looked away quickly, however, when she felt a sudden urge to cry. Jaw clenched, Leia took a deep breath and recomposed herself.

"I failed you, Luke," she said finally, still determinedly looking at the IV bag rather than at Luke.

"Failed me? What are you talking about? You rescued me."

Leia shook her head and sighed. "I didn't listen to you. You tried to save me, to prevent me from becoming a monster. But I made all the mistakes anyway." Luke said nothing, waiting for her to elaborate. "I was so angry. I was going to kill her, Luke. I was this close from doing it."

Luke's eyes widened as he realized what Leia was talking about. "Who?" he asked cautiously.

Leia's eyes darted back to meet Luke's briefly but she found she couldn't hold his gaze. It was as if she felt she didn't deserve to receive his concern or pity. "The Queen," she said hoarsely. "Instead I sliced off her hand just like Vader did to you. I always denied that I was like him, but that's not true at all, is it? I am just as bad as he is. I'm a menace."

"No, Leia that's not true –"

"No, it is. I am the same as him."

"No, you're not –"

"Don't you try and justify it!" she yelled suddenly. "She's just a girl and I wanted to kill her! I was seconds away from doing it! I don't deserve this… this gift. I can't control myself like you can, I'm a threat –"

"STOP!" Luke bellowed abruptly, grabbing her arm with a vice-like grip, the metal of his mechanical hand digging painfully into her skin. "Stop this at once." Shocked by Luke's passion, Leia looked back at him with wide eyes. Realizing that he was hurting her, Luke released her arm. "Nobody is predisposed to be evil, Leia," he said. "You are no worse than me and you are not just like Vader."

Leia shook her head vigorously, not wanting to hear this particular speech. "You don't understand."

"I do understand," he said softly. "Leia, please look at me." Reluctantly, Leia looked up from the ground to meet her brother's gaze. "You are not a bad person."

Leia felt herself begin to tremble and the tears she had been fighting for the past few hours began to emerge in her eyes. Instinctively, Luke tried to stand up to embrace her but was stopped by the dreaded IV in his arm. Cursing something in Huttese, Luke reached over and tore the IV out.

"Luke, y-you shouldn't…" she tried to say, but Luke ignored her.

Standing up, he hugged her tightly as the tears began to flow freely. Stroking her hair gently, Luke let her cry for a few moments. "You're not a bad person," he whispered to her after a while. "The very fact that you feel so terrible proves that."

Taking a shaky breath, Leia stopped crying but remained in Luke's comforting embrace, rocking back and forth gently. After a minute like this, Luke pulled away and placed his hands on Leia's arms. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm okay," she said, sniffling and rubbing her eyes. Much to Luke's surprise, she began to smile faintly. "I am feeling a bit of déjà vu, though" she said lightly. Momentarily confused, Luke began to grin as well when he caught her meaning.

"We do seem to be in this situation a lot, don't we?" he said.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, Leia collapsed into the chair next to Luke's bed. "I'm a mess," she said with a groan, her face in her hands.

"Aren't we all," Luke said casually, lying back down on his bed and rubbing the spot on his arm where he had torn out the IV. "But it can only get better from here," he assured her. "After all, you're only just learning how to hone your abilities."

Leia froze, a sense of dread flooding her. Sensing Leia's tension, Luke looked up. "Leia?" he asked.

Leia's shoulders drooped as she hung her head between her knees. "I'm so sorry, Luke," she said in a voice so faint that Luke barely heard her.

"Leia, we've been over this. You don't have to be sorry for –"

"No, it's not about that," she said, sitting upright with what looked like a considerable effort. Slouching back in her chair, she gave Luke a dejected look. "In order to gain Mothma's support to rescue you I had to agree to a condition."

"What type of condition?" Luke asked.

"I–" Leia faltered, knowing that what she was about to say was going to break Luke's heart. "I agreed to go back into politics."

Luke stared back at her silently for a few moments, an unpleasant mixture of confusion and indignation upon his face. "Why?" he asked finally, sounding so crestfallen that Leia couldn't help but grimace.

"She wants me as an ally in the Senate," she said weakly, knowing that this explanation was far from sufficient. "She wouldn't have sent help if I hadn't agreed."

"But you can't leave now!" Luke said desperately. "You still have so much to learn."

"I don't have a choice, Luke."

"Of course you do!" he retorted forcefully, ripping off his bedsheets once again and jumping out of the bed. "You can tell her that you changed your mind, or that you just need some more time," he said as he began to pace in front of her. Getting no response from Leia, he continued rambling. "Why does it have to be you anyway? Maybe you could recommend someone else, maybe you could –"

"Luke," Leia interjected. "I have to do it."

Luke stopped pacing and stared back at her. "You know this is a bad idea, don't you?" he said. "You need to continue training, to master the darkness and the light. Going back now could be a disaster!"

"I'll be fine," she mumbled but Luke seemed not to have heard her.

"She has no right to demand that of you! The Republic shouldn't have the right to interfere in Jedi matters."

"I'm not a Jedi, Luke," Leia said in a stronger voice.

"Of course you are," Luke said dismissively.

"No, I'm not. I don't know what I am, but I'm definitely not a Jedi."

"But that doesn't mean you won't become one!"

Leia said nothing, staring intently at her hands which were clasped in front of her lap so as to avoid Luke's eyes.

"Y-you can't leave," Luke said in a shaky voice. "I don't know what I would do without you." Leia looked up quickly, surprised by this profound admittance. She saw Luke's lower lip tremble and it looked as if he was about to cry. Feeling tremendously guilty, she shut her eyes tightly and rocked back and forth on her chair.

"This had to happen eventually," she said in a whisper. "Surely you know that."

"Why!?" Luke asked angrily. "Why can't things stay like they are?" Leia merely shook her head as she heard Luke collapse back into his bed, utterly dejected. "You're like a part of me," he said morosely. "I'll be incomplete without you."

_We'll never truly be separated then _she told him silently, in a far stronger voice than she ever could have produced audibly. _We'll always be together. _


	29. Chapter 29

_**Author's Note: Warning for brief mention of suicidal thoughts in this chapter. **_

* * *

Chapter 29

Leia skulked out of Luke's room feeling worse than she ever had about herself. She had thought beforehand that she might feel better after she dropped the proverbial bomb on Luke, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Instead it was as if she had crushed what little spirit she had left in her; she had never seen Luke as heartbroken as he had been when she told him she was leaving him to go back to politics.

The rational side of her wanted to reject Luke's reaction. He had no control over what she did with her life and he didn't have the right to manipulate her feelings like he had, wittingly or not. But these rationalizations did little to sooth Leia's conscience.

She had been so sure just a few hours prior that she was doing the right thing. That what she was doing was for the greater good and that Luke would come to realize that in time. Now she couldn't help but think that she had made a colossal mistake, not only in rescuing Luke in the manner that she had but in deciding to become a Jedi in the first place. Why had she done it? Was it the mystique of it? The allure of Luke's awesome powers? Or had it been because she had felt lost in the world and decided to cling to Luke, the one person who she felt could truly understand her?

Slipping into Han's room, Leia shut the door behind her and closed the blinds. The room was mercifully empty. Han must be in the bacta tank by now. Turning off the fluorescent lights, Leia collapsed onto the bed.

It had been a mistake to become a Jedi, Leia was now convinced of this. All she had achieved was to hurt all those closest to her. With her newfound powers she had lost her humanity. Would the old Leia Organa have attacked her boyfriend? Would she have ever dismembered a young girl or betrayed her brother? She couldn't control these powers, no matter what Luke said. She was a menace to all those around her. She truly was her father's daughter.

The thought made her sick to her stomach. Rolling over in the bed, Leia punched the stiff pillow angrily. Perhaps she had always known that this was the case. Maybe that was why she had so vehemently denied that she was anything like Vader. Because she had feared the truth.

But she was wiser than Vader. She knew her weaknesses and how to control them. While she was undoubtedly a monster, she knew now how to prevent herself from fulfilling her natural form. Mothma's request was a blessing after all; it gave Leia the excuse she needed to abandon Jedism forever and to surrender her powers. She would forget about the Force, she decided. She wouldn't let it tempt her anymore.

But could she? Did she really have that type of self-control? The Force was not something she could turn off, it surrounded her every move, permeated her every step. The physical world begged her to command it, much like the soldiers. How could she resist that authority; was that not what she had craved for all of her childhood? To have power? To command respect and authority? Could she simply pretend that she wasn't a monster?

While she was thoroughly exhausted, she knew she couldn't sleep under these conditions. Whenever she closed her eyes she would see Soruna's trembling form at her feet; she would see Han's terrified expression as he dangled in the air; she would see Luke's crestfallen face after she had told him she was leaving him. So instead she left her eyes open, staring blankly at the hospital ceiling in the darkness, wishing that she could become the person she once had been. She remembered that young woman quite well: passionate, principled, loving. What had happened to her?

Eyes still transfixed on the ceiling, she noticed that a faint blue hue had permeated the darkness, the ethereal glow crawling languidly about the shadows. Leia exhaled deeply for she knew what this meant: Vader had returned. Wearily, she pushed herself into a sitting position to face the man whom she resembled so unfortunately. He was looking back at her with a somber expression, the typical glimmer of humor absent from his eyes. Leia said nothing, waiting for him to speak. Vader was silent as well for a few moments, and Leia wondered briefly if there had been a glitch in the Force, if such a thing was even possible.

"_I was never truly a believer," _Vader said suddenly. He paused, perhaps expecting Leia to ask for him to elaborate. Receiving no such prompt, he continued. _"That the Force has an agenda and that it merely uses us as vessels to achieve its will. _

"_That is what the Jedi taught me when I was a boy. I never argued with Obi Wan about it but I always thought it was something that the Jedi told themselves to justify themselves. After all, if something goes wrong one can always say that this was the will of the Force and that we did nothing wrong. _

"_After Mustafar, I grew even more cynical. How could the Force have possibly wanted this to happen to me? How could the Force have wanted Padme and my child to die? No, the Force had no agenda I told myself. The Force was merely a tool for the strong to use to crush their foes. There was no greater meaning in the Galaxy, there was only power."_

Vader stopped talking momentarily and gave Leia a look as if to tell her that it was her time to speak. But Leia remained silent and so he resumed his lecture. _"When I met Luke, my doubts were enhanced even more. Here was my son, a brave and noble young man, who had been separated from me for his entire life. The Force was no longer an arbitrary entity to me now. Now I knew that it was my enemy. It sought to inflict as much pain on me as possible. How else could I explain the misery of my existence?" _

"You were a fool, then," Leia said hoarsely. For the first time, Vader's face lighted up a bit, the hint of a smile present on the corner of his mouth. "You were just like the Jedi."

"_Indeed, I was and I am glad that you can appreciate this." _

"Then why are you here?" she asked irritably. "I have no need to consult with fools."

A genuine smile emerged now on Vader's ghostly face. _"Oh, but I think you do," _he said provocatively. _"For you are acting very foolishly now. Perhaps you need to talk with a peer?" _

Leia opened her mouth to retort but found that she was not full of indignation as she had expected. Instead, she felt nothing but apathy. "That's the difference between you and me," she said coolly. "I understand that I am a fool whereas you did not."

"_Hmm," _Vader said, scrutinizing Leia's face closely. She might have been perturbed by this behavior previously, but now that she had accepted the truth she knew that Vader was merely looking into a mirror when he stared at her so intently. _"You are quite the contradiction, Leia Skywalker." _

"Don't call me that," she said automatically. Vader smirked, apparently glad that she was fighting back against him as she normally did.

"_You are both wise beyond your years and foolish beyond measure." _

Much delayed indignation began to bubble up inside her at last. "Are you just here to taunt me?" she asked angrily.

"_Why am I here?" _Vader asked back to her. Confused by this tactic, Leia was rendered speechless. _"I have asked myself this question many times. It may come as a surprise to you that I am not here on my own will. I did not decide to meet you here, I simply found myself transported here._

"_You see I realize now that the Jedi were right, in a way. I am but a pawn in the grand scheme of things. I believe that the Force has chosen me to serve as a conduit of its will to you. It is in this way that I fulfill the prophecy and bring balance to the Force. Through my death, I destroyed the great perversion that was the Sith. But this is just a part of the equation. It is not me who will bring balance to the Force, but my children. You and Luke are the incarnations of the Dark and Light side of the Chosen One, and it is my task to see that you restore the Galaxy to its natural status of equilibrium."_

Leia stared back at him dumbfounded, all traces of indignation gone and replaced with a burning curiosity. "What are you saying?" she asked.

"_I am here to save you. No, I am here to help you save yourself."_

"No, that's not it at all," she said slowly, looking back at him with suspicious eyes. "You're here to tempt me, aren't you? You don't want me to abandon the Force. Well I know better than you. I know what it does to me. I have to abandon it, otherwise I will truly become a reincarnation of Vader."

"_If you follow that path, the Force will be forever out of balance." _

"So what!" Leia retorted loudly. "I represent the Darkness! The Galaxy would be better off without me!"

"_You are mistaken," _Vader said. _"The Force does not see in terms of Light and Dark. That is merely a simplification we mortals have devised for ourselves to help comprehend the workings of the Force." _

"Oh, so the Dark Side is a good thing now?"

"_No," _Vader said impatiently. _"It is merely a state of being. The Force does not recognize concepts like good and evil, light and dark. It operates in simultaneous yet distinct waves."_

"How do you know this?" Leia asked suspiciously.

Vader shrugged. _"I'm not really sure," _he said honestly. _"Perhaps being dead has something to do with it." _

"Well I think you're wrong," Leia said resolutely. "The Dark Side sent you to tempt me, to convince me not to abandon the Force so that I can become the monster I'm destined to become!"

"_There is no Dark Side!" _Vader bellowed in frustration. _"There is only the Force! You and Luke are the two manifestations of its power! If you abandon it, the Force will be rendered meaningless. Is that what you want? A galaxy without guidance? Do you want a galaxy that is arbitrary? _

Unsure of what to say, Leia said nothing. Vader closed his eyes and took a deep breath, composing himself. _"This is your destiny," _he said quietly. _"I understand why you might hate the word. I certainly did when I was alive. But you must fulfill it."_

"But how?" she asked equally softly. "I'm being torn apart."

Vader gave her a sad look. _"Perhaps now you can understand my pain, then." _Leia looked away, the expression on Vader's face too much for her to bear. _"You have been assigned a terrible burden, my child. Believe me, I too wish that this was not your fate. I wish that I could have been a normal man and lived an ordinary life. But I am not an ordinary man, and you are not an ordinary woman. Pretending that we are otherwise will only lead to suffering."_

"So what do you want me to do? Abandon Han and Luke and pretend that I don't care about them? Isolate myself from the world so that I can carry this burden alone? I can't do that!"

Vader shook his head somberly. _"I am sorry. I do not have the answers you seek." _

"WHY!" she shrieked, leaping off the bed and throwing her pillow across the room, inadvertently propelling it so much so that it actually left a dent in the wall. "WHY CAN'T ANYONE HELP ME! I DON'T WANT THIS RESPONSIBILITY. I- I can't deal with this anymore… I'm going to go insane…" She froze when her hand brushed against the lightsaber on her belt. It could help her, she thought. It would be so easy. She wouldn't have to deal with this pain anymore… all she had to do was press a button…

Vader stood up abruptly, clearly alarmed by Leia's outburst. _"Leia, listen to me," _he said urgently. _"I won't let you go through this alone. Luke won't either, for that matter. You will never be alone as long as you have people who love you." _

Leia swiveled her head around to look at Vader's sincere face. "Y-you love me?" she asked.

"_Of course I do," _he said plainly.

Leia looked away quickly, fighting against now all-to-familiar tears. Why did this surprise her so much? Why should she care what he thought?

"You… you only s-say that because I'm so much like you," she said shakily, her words sounding incoherent even to herself. "Y-you're just so happy to meet someone as messed up as you are."

"_No," _Vader said firmly. _"I love you because you are my daughter." _Leia burst out in tears for the umpteenth time, cradling herself in her arms for there was no one there to embrace her.

"_I will always be here for you," _her father said.


	30. Chapter 30

Epilogue

A week later, Leia had left Naboo to return to politics. While he was still recuperating from his wound, Han had insisted that he accompany her, apparently as petrified as Luke had been at the prospect of being separated from her.

Her doubts, reservations, fears, and depression were all hidden away, suppressed deep beneath the surface. Luke and Han would never know how close she had been to falling off the edge and succumbing to insanity; Vader alone would be her confidante and secret keeper for she had come to realize that there was nobody in the world whom she resembled more than her father.

Luke had tried to keep a neutral attitude in the week leading up to Leia's departure. Perhaps he had realized how terribly he had made her feel about herself. Whatever the reason, Leia was grateful. She wasn't sure how much more guilt she could deal with.

On the final day however, Luke's façade of indifference shattered when Leia insisted that he take her lightsaber.

"Take it, Luke," she had said, handing him her prized possession. "I have no need for this anymore."

Luke had recoiled viscerally, seemingly afraid to even look at the lightsaber. "I couldn't possibly–"

"Luke, you need a lightsaber and I don't. It's as simple as that." Luke had been moping for the past week because he had been unable to find his green lightsaber after Soruna's guards had took it from him. Leia, on the other hand, had unclipped her weapon from her belt the day after she had sliced off Soruna's hand, revolted by the weapon's power in her hands. Knowing that she was returning to politics anyway, she felt it was more than reasonable that she bestowed her lightsaber to Luke.

"I'm not taking it with me," she said definitively. "Either I give it to you, or I throw it in the lake."

Aghast, Luke swiped the lightsaber away from Leia quickly and attached it to his own belt. "You're bluffing," he said, evidently unable to believe that Leia could be so indifferent towards her weapon. "You would never do that."

Leia shrugged. "I don't need it," she repeated. Luke was right, of course. Leia never would have flung her lightsaber away as carelessly as she had implied she would – the weapon was like her baby and even though she feared its capabilities, she knew she could never abandon it. It was better to leave it in Luke's responsible hands, she reasoned.

"I have an idea," Luke said earnestly, his eyes brightening up. "If I can't find my lightsaber within a month, I'll forge a new one. Then I can return this one to you."

Leia opened her mouth to protest, but closed it without saying a word. She realized that Luke was just trying to find an excuse to visit her again, and she wasn't going to deny him that opportunity. Instead she pursed her lips and nodded noncommittally. "That could work," she said.

Having placated Luke sufficiently, Leia had made her way to the Millennium Falcon with Han to pursue her new journey. Looking out the cockpit window as Naboo receded away until it was just a green and blue orb in the sky, Leia couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

She had been so certain just a few months ago that this new path she embarked upon with Luke had been the right course of action. She had been so disheartened by politics and war that solitude with Han and Luke had seemed like a wonderful idea. Yet here she was, returning to politics after just a brief respite.

She was returning to a life she no longer recognized. Before she had never felt an ounce of self-doubt or cynicism. She had always been confident that she was fighting for a just cause. Now she felt little but cynicism and self-loathing. How rapidly had her life changed.

How could she pretend as if nothing had changed? Mothma wanted Princess Leia Organa to return to politics to serve as a rallying cry for the New Republic; a triumphant figure who had resisted the oppression of the Empire. But she wasn't Leia Organa anymore. She barely even knew who Leia Organa was anymore…

Leia Skywalker. That was who she was now. The daughter of Vader and the incarnation of evil. And yet at the same time she was also the daughter of Amidala and the sister of Luke Skywalker, two of the purest people to traverse this galaxy. How could she reconcile these two facets of her identity?

Would it be clear that she was a changed woman? Would Mothma realize that bringing her back had been a mistake? Would she realize that her self-appointed successor was a shell of her former self? How could she willingly accept the power endowed upon her when she knew that she was a monster?

Nobody could answer these questions for her. Not Han. Not Luke. Not even Vader.

"Are you okay?" she heard Han ask her, startling her from her dark thoughts. Leia spun around to see Han's concerned yet deeply compassionate face. Feeling her concern ebb away as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved, Leia gave a heavy sigh and a weak smile.

"No," she said truthfully, reaching out to grasp Han's calloused hand. "But at least I'm with you."

Han returned her smile and gave Leia's hand a squeeze. "Well get used to it," he said. "Because you're not getting rid of me."

Laughing, Leia looked back out the cockpit window to watch Naboo shrink until it disappeared in the vastness of space. _Goodbye, Luke _she thought into the emptiness before her, knowing that he would hear her.

"Let's go," she said resolutely, tearing her eyes away from the window.

"You got it," Han said, pulling the lever with his uninjured arm. As the Falcon entered hyperspace with a jolt, Leia left her doubts behind her and focused firmly on the future. She was ready to embark on a new path.

THE END


End file.
